Kingdom Hearts: Darkness Descending
by AquaDestinysEmbrace
Summary: After darkness has consumed three friends' world, they find themselves in the middle of a struggle between light and dark as Xehanort and the Heartless continue their relentless attacks. Will they be able to help Sora and co. stop the forces of darkness for good this time?
1. The Simple Life

A crack of sunlight managed to seep its way in through the drawn curtains of a bedroom. As it streamed into the room, it hit the face of a sleeping teenager, making her shift a bit in her sleep before slowly opening one green eye. A soft groan came from the girl's lips as she slowly sat up. Her shaggy brown hair was a rather frightful mess at the moment. Rubbing her eyes, she squinted as she glanced at the window.

The teenage girl got out of her bed and walked to the window as she stretched. Gripping the curtains, she pushed them open and sunlight streamed through the open window, making her squint again and shield her still adjusting eyes from the bright light. She recovered from the brightness and opened the window, leaning against the windowsill as the gentle morning breeze blew through her hair. With a yawn, she closed her eyes and felt the breeze. It was so calm, so relaxing, so quiet...

"HEEEEEY, ANNIE!"

Well, _almost_ quiet.

Fifteen year old Anne Marshall let out a sigh as she glanced down from the window, seeing a teenage boy about a year older than her with dark brown messy hair. His skin was a bit tan, but also a bit pale. He was wearing a black jacket lined with green over a white shirt with blue jeans and also wore a big grin on his face as he waved to her from the ground. "Good morning!" he called. His name was Chase Enheart, one of Anne's friends. He was sixteen years old, as well as a total goofball. Sometimes, he acted like _he_ was the younger one.

"Hello, Chase." Anne sighed as she rubbed her eyes.

"Hey, how'd ya sleep?! Your hair is a mess!" Chase called.

"Oh really? You should see yours!" Anne retorted.

Chase crossed his arms. "Ha ha. Well, better hurry up!"

"School doesn't start for another hour!" Anne called. Chase smiled. "I know! I just wanted to wake you up early!" he grinned. He knew that Anne was _not_ a morning person.

Shaking her head with annoyance, Anne called down, "Whatever, just let me wake up and eat my breakfast, okay?!"

"Whatever you say, Annie!" Chase grinned.

With a sigh, Anne closed the window and curtains to get dressed. She slipped on her favorite outfit, a simple black t shirt under a denim jacket with blue jeans and black boots. She placed her favorite set of black headphones around her neck and put her music player in her pocket. Once she brushed her messy hair down to its normal level and positioned her bangs to their usual position, which was half covering her right eye, she headed to the kitchen, finding her father sitting at the table eating breakfast. Her mother sat across from him once she set Anne's plate down. "Good morning, Anne." she told her daughter.

"Mornin'..." Anne uttered as she sat down and ate her pancakes.

"You ready for the day?" her father asked. He had black hair and brown eyes and he was wearing a brown, buttoned up shirt with a pair of jeans.

"Just praying that there won't be any surprise tests." Anne replied as she quickly ate.

"Whoa, slow down, Anne. You'll choke." her mother warned. She had short brown hair and green eyes, which Anne had inherited from her. Swallowing, Anne told her mother, "Sorry, it's just that Chase is outside waiting for me."

"Again?" her father asked, looking up from his own plate.

Anne sighed. "Yep." she answered before polishing off her pancakes. Quickly washing them down with some water, she called, "Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! Love you both!"

She rushed out of the kitchen, leaving her empty plate on the table as she grabbed her bag, which contained some notes, a bit of homework, and a couple of her favorite mangas to read, and stepped out the door, finding Chase waiting by the fence outside. "'Bout time." he smirked as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "Hey, you were the one who came early." Anne retorted as she and her friend began to walk away from her home. "Where's Dylan?"

"I'd say he's still eating breakfast right now." Chase shrugged.

Anne merely sighed and looked up at the sky as they walked. It was a beautiful blue color. She loved to look at it before going to high school. It made her feel a bit at ease.

However, Chase's voice snapped her out of it. "Oh, there he is!"

The girl took a glance to her left and saw a teenage boy her age with slightly spiky black hair and tan skin, as well as blue eyes. He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt with simple blue pants. His name was Dylan Enheart, Chase's younger brother by a year, but sometimes, Dylan acted like he was the older one instead of Chase, a fact with slightly annoyed him. The teenage boy looked over his shoulder and smiled seeing his friend after swallowing the last of a doughnut he was eating for breakfast. "Heya, Anne!" he called.

Anne smiled softly as he approached them. "Hey, Dylan. You ready for today?" she asked the black haired teen.

"Yeah." he answered as they resumed walking down the road. "So, what do you think lies in store for us today?" Chase asked, earning a shrug from Dylan. "Who knows? Surprise tests, really difficult homework, listening to nonsense from popular kids..." he listed. Anne groaned at the last part. "If Josh starts saying stuff like that again today, I'm gonna chuck my boot at him!" she promised, earning a chuckle from Chase. "It'll be worth losing a boot." he joked.

"That dude made me fail my math test when he stole my notes!" Dylan groaned. Chase's smile fell at that. Josh was, to put it mildly, a troublemaker. He would always try to find ways to ruin somebody's day just because he was bored. The trio of friends agreed that he was most likely going to be in jail by the time he got out of high school if he kept it up. No other student bothered to stop him, because they knew he would somehow weasel his way out.

Anne let out another sigh as she placed her headphones on over her ears and began to listen to some music. "Honestly, why don't they just suspend the guy?" she asked as she turned her music down to 'low' as they walked.

"My thoughts exactly, Annie." Dylan agreed.

The trio were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't notice that they had reached the school. It was then Dylan pointed out, "Oh, we're here."

Anne looked forward, seeing the large red, blue, and yellow building. Welton High School... one of her least favorite places to be on beautiful days like these. It was at least three stories high, looming over students as they approached it.

She breathed through her nose, sighing. _'Well... time for school.'_ she thought as she and her two friends trudged forward.

* * *

Students chatted with each other rather loudly as they approached the entrance. One group of students had a teenage boy about sixteen with dirty blonde hair that was rather unkempt. He wore his favorite outfit, a zipped up dark green jacket with blue jeans. This was Josh Harrington, the self proclaimed 'big-shot' of the school. He had a big ego and saw others as beneath him, a trait which led most students to dislike him, and also fear him.

He looked over his shoulder and smirked seeing Anne, Chase, and Dylan step through the entrance. "Well, look who it is, boys! The reject and the loser brothers!" he smirked, earning some laughter from his lackeys.

Anne rolled her eyes as she kept walking. "Just ignore him, guys..." she whispered to her two friends. Josh merely kept smirking. "Hey, Enheart! Heard you failed your math test!" he laughed.

Dylan glared at him. "That's cause you made me fail it! I didn't have my notes to study since you took them!"

"Aww, too bad, so sad." Josh chuckled. His lackeys laughed along with him. Josh then set his sights on Anne. "Oh, hey, you reject! How was your 'trip' the day before?" he asked laughing.

Anne froze in place and growled, forgetting about 'ignoring him', and started to storm towards him ready to knock his lights out, but Dylan and Chase pulled her back. "No, Anne. He's not worth it." Dylan told her as he and his brother gently pulled their friend away. Anne glared at Josh as the bell for first period rang.

Josh waved mockingly. "Now, you don't wanna be late for your class, do you?" he smirked before walking off. Anne glared at his back as he left with his cronies.

"I hate him." Dylan grumbled.

"You're not alone, pal." Anne sighed. "You're not alone."

* * *

Surprisingly, the day went by rather quickly for them. It was the usual routine for the trio since they each had the same classes together: do gym, listen to the teachers drone on, take notes, eat lunch, talk, make sure to avoid Josh and make sure he didn't steal anything of theirs in the process... that was basically the routine they had almost every single day.

Chase placed his arms behind his head as they left the high school together. "Man, today was _boring_." Chase complained. "Not as boring as yesterday was." Dylan told his brother with a shrug. "Ugh, did you hear about what the second period English class had to do?"

"Yeah, I feel sorry for them. They'll be having a LOT of homework tonight." Chase replied.

Anne kept her hands shoved in her pockets as they headed down the road leading to their homes. "So, who's up for some Pepsi?" she asked.

"Again?" Dylan chuckled.

"Okay, then how about a race?" Anne smirked.

Chase leaned in. "Ooh, a race, you say?" he grinned before taking off running. Anne and Dylan's eyes widened as he darted off. "Hey, we didn't say 'go', yet!" Dylan called in protest.

"Whatever, the race has started already! I'm gonna beat ya!" Chase laughed. Anne rolled her eyes at Chase's antics, but smiled and shook her head as she ran after him with Dylan.

As they ran, they almost ran into some people, earning some rather angry shouts from some bystanders. "Watch where you're going!" a grouchy man exclaimed.

"Sorry!" Dylan called.

In the end, Chase managed to beat them to Anne's house. He pumped his fists in the air with triumph. "Whoo!"

Anne and Dylan screeched to a halt, hunched over and panting. "No fair, Chase. You got a head start..." Dylan groaned.

"Aw come on, Dylan. Don't be such a sore loser." Chase teased.

"I am not!"

Anne merely smiled at her friends' antics and shook her head. They were acting like typical brothers. Just then, her mother opened a window and poked her head out. "Anne! Come in! Dinner's ready!" she called. The teenager let out a sigh as she looked over her shoulder. "I'll be there in a minute!" she called before looking back at Chase and Dylan. "So, usual spot tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yep! See ya, Annie!" Chase told her.

"Talk to you later, Anne." Dylan smiled before he and his brother walked off. Anne nodded and walked up the steps to her house. Tomorrow was the last day of the school week for them, then it would be the weekend. She actually looked forward to tomorrow.

However... tomorrow would also be the day that her and her friends' lives would be changed forever...

* * *

 **Chase and Dylan Enheart belong to I heart Lyoko. Thanks, buddy!**


	2. Dive into the Heart

_Anne opened her eyes and found herself slowly floating down in a seemingly endless dark void._

'Where... am I?' _she thought._ 'What is going on...?'

 _As she wondered where she was, Anne found herself being flipped right side up with her feet facing the dark abyss below. Suddenly, she felt her feet touch something solid, but didn't see anything but blackness beneath her. However, that soon changed as the abyss beneath her slowly peeled away, revealing that she was standing on stained glass._

'What is this place...?' _she asked mentally as she looked around, seeing nothing but a black abyss surrounding her and the stained glass pillar as far as the eye could see._

 _ **So much to do, so little time...**_

 _Anne jumped at the voice. She glanced around, trying to find the source of the voice, but saw no one there. "Who's there?!" she asked._

 _ **Take your time. Don't be afraid.**_

 _Anne cautiously stepped forward to the center of the stained glass pillar and glanced at her surroundings. Just then, three smaller stone pillars materialized out of thin air around her, making her jump in slight surprise. One had a sword, one had a shield, and one had a staff._

 _ **Power sleeps within you. If you give it form... it will give you strength. Choose well.**_

 _Anne looked at the three stands in confusion._ 'Power...? What power...?' _Anne thought to herself as she found herself walking over to the stand with the sword floating on it. She cautiously reached out and grasped the handle of the sword, examining the blade. The mysterious voice spoke again._

 _ **The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?**_

 _The teenager thought about it carefully for a moment, then nodded. "Yes..." she said. Suddenly, the sword vanished from her hand in a flash of light._

 ** _Your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange for it?_**

 _She looked back and forth between the shield and the oddly shaped staff. It felt more like an 'eenie-meanie' game to her at the moment._ 'Give up? Oh boy...' _she groaned mentally before ultimately heading over to the staff. She gently grasped it in her hands examining it as the mysterious voice echoed throughout the abyss._

 ** _The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You wish to give up this power?_**

 _Mystic didn't seem like her forte, so she nodded. The staff vanished from her hands in sparkles of light._

 ** _You've chosen the power of the warrior. You've given up the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose?_**

 _Anne nodded once again. "Yes." she confirmed. Her eyes widened as the stands started to shrink back into the green stained glass pillar, making her back away from them with surprise. Suddenly, the glass shattered beneath her and she found herself floating down through the abyss again until she reached another glass pillar, this time, with a purple and blue color scheme to it. As she slowly landed on it, the sword suddenly materialized in her right hand. The teenager blinked in confusion as she grasped it in her hand, then slashed the air with it a few times to test it out._

 ** _Use this power to protect yourself and others. There will be times where you will have to fight. Keep your light burning strong._**

'Protect myself...? From what?' _Anne thought. As she glanced around, she gasped seeing a couple of black blobs rising out of the glass, which then formed into small, black, yellow eyed creatures. "Whoa! What are those things?!" Anne asked no one in particular. She yelped in surprise as one of them slithered its way to her as a blob then quickly formed again. She quickly slashed at it before it could attack her, making it vanish into a black cloud. Her eyes widened at this before she whirled around, seeing another behind her. As it lunged at Anne, she slashed it on instinct, making it disappear in another black cloud.  
_

 _The remaining creatures around her sank into the floor, consuming it with a black-purple color. Anne found herself sinking into it. She desperately tried to get out, but couldn't as she was swallowed up and found herself on yet another stained glass pillar._

 _She sat up with a gasp and looked around, seeing no sign of the creatures anywhere. However, there was a mysterious door at the edge to her left. She rose an eyebrow in confusion and slowly pushed herself to her feet. The teenager walked over to it, but took a step back as it opened by itself, revealing a bright light. Anne squinted as she found herself moving into the light, being consumed by it._

* * *

 _As Anne lowered her arms from her face, she gasped seeing that she was now in the park where she liked to hang out. "I-I'm home?!" she asked herself as she glanced around. Her green eyes widened seeing Dylan leaning against a railing nearby._

 _"Dylan!" she exclaimed happily as she ran over to him. The teenage boy simply looked at her. "What's most important to you?" he asked._

 _Anne rose an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh...?" she inquired before she crossed her arms and thought about it. After several moments of thinking, she answered, "Friendship."_

 _Dylan smiled before he suddenly vanished into thin air. Anne gasped at this. "Dylan?!" she asked, but received no answer. She continued to walk around, trying to make sense of what was going on before she noticed Chase leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. She ran over to her friend. "Chase, do you know what's going on?"_

 _"What is it you're so afraid of?" he simply asked her._

 _She blinked, but answered, "Losing someone close to me."_

 _Chase smiled and gave a nod before he too vanished into thin air. Anne blinked in confusion before she walked around some more, finding her mother sitting on a bench. "Mom!" Anne sighed with relief before she ran to her. "There's this crazy stuff going on! What's happening?"_

 _"What do you wish?" her mother suddenly asked her._

 _"Another question...?" Anne asked before she sat next to her and thought about it. Finally, she answered, "To broaden my horizons, I guess..."_

 _Her mother then vanished the same way Dylan and Chase did._

 _Just then, the same light from before surrounded her, making her shield her eyes from the brightness as she was engulfed by it._

* * *

 _When she opened her eyes, she found herself back in the mysterious dark abyss on an orange stained glass pillar. Two black blobs rose out of it forming into the same creatures from before. Anne gripped the sword in her hand as she got ready. "These things again?!" she asked before moving to the side as one of the creatures lunged at her. As soon as it passed her, Anne hacked at it a couple times with the sword, making it vanish into a dark cloud._

 _Whirling around, she ducked just in time as the last creature jumped over her and tried to attack, but she slashed it across the back, causing it to disappear. Seeing there were no more creatures around, she slouched over and sighed with relief as she caught her breath, panting a bit._

 _Suddenly, a beam of light materialized and beamed down onto the center of another pillar nearby. Stained glass platforms appeared after that, forming a staircase and leading right to it. Anne eyed it for a moment before stepping on to the first platform, then to the next. As she approached the beam of light on the pillar, Anne could barely make out an item floating in it as she cautiously approached the light. It felt so warm and comforting..._

 _As she got closer, the item was a sword that seemed to resemble some sort of large key._

 ** _With this, you will be able to protect those you care about. Use it well._**

 _Anne cautiously reached out and grasped the hilt of the strange blade and a name echoed in her mind._ 'Way of the Ninja.'

 _ **You must be ready for what is about to come.**_

 _Before she could even react, the entire area was surrounded by light, brighter than the light from before. She yelled in surprise and covered her eyes as the light grew brighter and brighter._

* * *

Anne's eyes snapped right open and she bolted upright with a gasp as she glanced around her. She was back in her room! She glanced down at her hand, but found nothing in it.

"What a weird dream..." she muttered once she caught her breath, pushing some of her bangs out of her face. _Was_ it a dream?

She shook these thoughts out of her head as she heard Chase calling to her from outside. "Yo! Anne! You up?!" he called. Anne quickly got out of bed and opened the window, squinting from the light hitting her eyes and finding him waiting below. "I am now!" she retorted. She noticed Dylan was with Chase this time. "You were taking longer than usual today." Dylan called.

"Sorry about that. I'll be down in a little bit! Just let me get ready!" Anne called before closing the window and curtains. As she got dressed in her usual outfit, she couldn't help but think about the odd dream she had.

 _'What the heck were those things...? What did that voice mean by what's about to come?'_ she thought as she slipped her favorite headphones on once she got her hair brushed down to its usual position and headed downstairs for breakfast. She heard yipping and glanced down to see their pet dachshund, Boomer, pawing at her leg. Anne smiled softly, bending down to scratch his ears. "Hey, Boomer. How you doing, boy?"

He barked in reply as she headed to the kitchen. Her father was sitting at the table drinking coffee. "Ah. Hey, sleepyhead. We were wondering when you would wake up." he told her.

"Sorry, Dad. Just had a weird dream..." she told him before she quickly ate the bowl of cereal that was set in front of her. "James, did you remember to pick up the books we bought?" her mother asked.

Her father, James, cringed, realizing he forgot to do so. "No, Eileen... I'll do it today."

Eileen then perked up as she remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot..." she said to herself before she handed Anne a necklace. It had a claw pendant attached to it. "Here. I meant to give this to you yesterday. Thought you might like it."

Anne's eyes widened as she gently took it. "Thanks, Mom... it's beautiful."

Anne then noticed the time and her eyes widened before she quickly gathered her stuff, hugging her parents goodbye. "Bye Mom! Bye Dad! Love you both! See ya after school!" she called as she ran out the door with her bag slung over her shoulder while she gently put the necklace into her pocket.

Chase smirked as they began to walk to school together. "We were beginning to think you'd never show up today." he told her as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Anne slid her headphones off her ears and around her neck. "Sorry. I was busy talking to Mom and Dad."

"So, what do you think Josh has in store for us today?" Dylan asked them.

"Who knows? But this time, I'll give him something as payback!" Chase grinned before he pulled out a paper that read, 'Kick Me.'

His brother gave him a deadpan look. "A 'kick me' sign? Seriously...?" he asked. "What? It was the best that I could come up with without getting in trouble!" Chase defended.

As the two brothers bickered, Anne looked down in thought as she shoved her hands into her pockets. What was that thing in her dream...? Was it a dream? Was it real? She didn't know. She wished she managed to see what exactly the item in her dream was before she woke up. Just what was that thing?

"...nne? Anne!"

Anne looked up in surprise, seeing Chase and Dylan looking at her with concern. "You okay? You spaced out on us there for a second." Dylan said.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I-I'm fine. Just thinking, that's all..." Anne assured them as they approached Welton High. As usual, Josh and his cronies were hanging around by the entrance as they stepped in. "Hey, losers!" Josh smirked.

The trio ignored him as they walked by, earning a growl. "Hey! I'm talking to you, rejects!" he said as he stormed over to them. "You should listen to me when I speak!"

Chase looked back at him and smirked as he cleaned his ear out with his pinky finger. "Sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear what you said with all that garbage coming out of your mouth." he retorted.

Anne and Dylan resisted snickering at the look on Josh's face. Josh glared at them. "Oh, you think that's funny, losers?"

Anne's smile fell and she glared right back at him. "Why can't you stop bugging people?"

"Cause I rule this school, duh! Now, get out of my face, freak." Josh smirked.

Dylan took a step forward ready to fight him, but Chase and Anne pulled him back. "Aw, you chicken?" Josh taunted as his cronies made chicken noises in the background. This angered Dylan even more as he was pulled away. "You're gonna get caught one of these days, Josh! Mark my words!" Anne spat at him.

"Whatever, why should I listen to you rejects? I'm the king here. No one gets in my way and gets off scott-free." Josh smirked before walking off with his cronies.

* * *

Dylan banged his head on the table they sat at regularly during lunch time outside. "I can't stand him!" he growled.

Anne sighed as she finished her hot dog. "Neither can I. I was ready to kick his butt, too." she told him as she took her headphones off her ears.

"Same." Chase said. "But then of course, he'd lie and get us in trouble..." Dylan said.

Anne raised her can of Pepsi. "Here's to hoping he gets suspended soon..."

"Here, here." Chase agreed as he drank his bottle of water. "Man, the first few classes were so stupid today! That lesson on geometry was ridiculous! At least history was alright."

"You _never_ complain about history." Dylan told his brother, his mood lightening up a bit. "Well, one, it's interesting, and two, Josh isn't in that class!" Chase smirked, earning chuckles from both of them. However, their conversation was cut off by a distant scream.

"What the heck was that?" Dylan asked. This question ran through the minds of several other students as they searched for the source of the screaming. A teenage boy ran past the outdoor cafeteria screaming, "Monster! Monster!"

Anne rose an eyebrow. "Monster?" she repeated as she got up from her seat and peered around the corner. What she saw almost made her heart stop. A short, black creature with two antennae and yellow eyes was slithering its way towards them!

The teenager gasped and quickly backed away. _'T-Those look like the same monsters from my dream!'_ she thought. But how could they be here?!

Quickly, Anne turned on her heel and ran back to her table just as more of the yellow eyed creatures began to spawn. Students began to scream and panic as they started to run away. Anne managed to make it back to Dylan and Chase through the crowd of panicking students. "We... we gotta get outta here..." she told them in a breathless voice.

"What's happening?!" Dylan asked her as he frantically looked around at the increasing chaos.

"I don't know, but this is insane!" Chase exclaimed. Before anyone could say anything else, one student, who happened to be a slacker and bully, was tackled by one of the creatures. He struggled against it, but his struggles were in vain as it plunged its claws into his chest and yanked out his heart, earning more screams from some nearby girls. The male student fell to the ground lifeless as he was surrounded by a black mist. Anne was frozen in place by shock and horror, unable to believe that this was happening. This had to be a dream, it HAD to be!

Seeing his friend frozen, Dylan ran over to her and grabbed her. "Anne, snap out of it! We gotta get movin'!"

The teenager gasped as she realized something. "W-What if these things are in town?! What if they attacked Mom, Dad, and Boomer?!" she asked.

"We'll check on them as soon as we get out of here, I promise!" Dylan told her. One of the strange creatures lunged at Chase, but he jumped to the side as it only scratched his sleeve, cutting it open. Taking action, Chase darted over to his younger brother and friend and grabbed them, dragging them with him as he weaved his way towards the exit. "Come on!" he exclaimed. Thankfully, some students managed to make it out of the outdoor cafeteria already.

As the friends ran, they noticed that the sky grew darker and darker, giving off an omnimous hue as the winds kicked up. Josh stood admist the chaos on top of a table as he stared up at the sky as if he was... interested by it.

One of his cronies, Nash Parker, tried to get him off, calling, "Josh, what the heck are you doing?! We gotta get outta here!"

However, Josh kept staring up at the darkened sky as if nothing was wrong. "Look at it... it's amazing, isn't it?" he asked as a smile crept up on his face.

Nash shook his head, slowly backing away as the creatures kept coming. "Whatever, man! You're crazy!" he yelled at him before taking off running. Nash stuck around Josh and joined him in his taunting of others because he thought he'd be popular. He believed that Josh was a cool guy. Now that Josh was acting like he was enjoying something as chaotic as this, there was no way he was going to stick around him this time. He just wanted to get out of here!

He ran away as a black cloud surrounded Josh...

* * *

Meanwhile, Anne, Chase, and Dylan managed to escape the high school and were now running down the path that led to Anne's home as fast as their legs could carry them. Everywhere around them, people were screaming and running into their homes as more of the black, yellow eyed creatures spawned here and there.

Anne's denim jacket got a couple scratches from a creature that tried to attack, and her pants had a hole in them after tripping and getting up in a hurry. She glanced over her shoulder and gasped seeing the area get darker behind them. She had to get home to see if her family was alright!

"Look out!" Chase's sudden cry interrupted her thoughts as her eyes went forward. They froze as several creatures spawned around them, closing in on the three as they backed up. "We're trapped!" Dylan gasped.

Chase gulped as he backed up into Dylan and Anne. "This may sound cheesy... but I love you guys!"

Anne shut her eyes preparing for the inevitable when she heard the voice from her dream echo in her head.

 **Don't be afraid. Remember... the light is on your side.**

Before any of them could react, a light materialized in her hand and grew brighter and brighter, making the creatures hiss as they backed away. When the light faded, Anne opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw. It was a gray and black key shaped sword with the edges around the hilt curved, the teeth shaped like kunai knives. and had a shuriken keychain. Anne's green eyes widened. This was the item from her dream! Then... it wasn't a dream! It was real?! What was going on?!

Chase and Dylan were equally shocked. "What the heck?!" Dylan asked. One of the creatures then lunged at them. Anne yelped and on reflex, slashed at it with the oddly shaped blade, hitting it and making it vanish into a black cloud. The trio gasped at this, but snapped out of it as another lunged at them. Anne slashed at it again a few times, causing it to disintegrate and create an opening for them to escape. Taking this chance, the three friends darted past the remaining creatures and ran as fast as they could.

Anne slashed at a couple creatures here and there as they made their way down the path. However, the area around them began to crack and rise up a bit, making their escape a bit difficult.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Chase asked.

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!" Dylan retorted as they kept running. They screeched to a halt as a massive dark cloud materialized in front of them, forming a _huge_ , dark creature with tentacle like limbs surrounding its head and a hollow heart shape in its chest. The creature loomed over them menacingly. "RUN!" Chase screamed as he grabbed his brother and friend and ran quickly.

Anne, however, whacked the creature on the hand with the mysterious key shaped sword a few times, making it recoil as they ran.

They were now nearing the area they lived in, but the winds began to kick up as a mysterious, red portal materialized in the now dark purple sky, making the three struggle to keep their grip on the ground. The power of the winds kept kicking up until the portal began to suck up debris. Chase managed to cling onto a wooden beam, holding on with one hand as he held onto Dylan's wrist, who was gripping onto Anne's free hand while she held the key shaped sword in her other hand.

"DON'T LET GO!" Dylan screamed.

"WHY WOULD I DO THAT?!" Chase screamed back as the winds kicked up even more while the ground continued to crack and rise up. Anne gritted her teeth and hung onto Dylan's hand as tight, her eyes wide with fear as she could as she could see her home not too far away. They were almost there! She had to know if her parents were okay, she _had_ to!

Unfortunately, Chase had lost his grip, resulting in the trio flying up towards the portal screaming.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" they all screamed with fear as they were sucked into the mysterious portal, but their screams faded as they slipped into unconsciousness...


	3. Radiant Garden

**Clair Fay and Jason Norman belong to DinoWriter23. Thanks!**

* * *

In the study at the top of the Mysterious Tower, the wise sorcerer Yen Sid looked up at the sky with a furrowed brow as he stroked his beard.

In the sky, a single star went out. His eyes narrowed as he closed his eyes.

"I see... so Xehanort has finally struck..." he spoke solemnly.

* * *

It was a typical day in Radiant Garden. The residents were going about their usual business; shopping, walking about, chatting with friends, the usual sort. The Restoration Committee were working more and more on rebuilding. One of its members, Squall 'Leon' Leonhart, strolled through the town with his gunblade strapped to his back.

Although most of the enemies were gone now, it didn't hurt to be on lookout.

He paused to take a look around. His home was looking rather peaceful, thankfully. But he needed to keep his guard up if an enemy were to return. But no Heartless or any other enemies have attacked in at least two months. It had been quiet... _too_ quiet.

Leon furrowed his brow. He hadn't heard from Cloud ever since he went to fight his arch nemesis Sephiroth in the Dark Depths. From what he last heard from Sora, Cloud and Sephiroth had vanished elsewhere in the middle of their fight. Tifa and the others had been on the lookout for him ever since that day, but he still hadn't returned.

The young man was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the familiar sound of... a Heartless materializing. He froze in place. "No..." he whispered as he glanced over his shoulder, seeing three Shadow Heartless pop up out of the ground. Instinctively, he grabbed his gunblade and readied it, glaring at the Heartless.

 _'Heartless?! Here?! But... but how?! I thought Sora, Donald, and Goofy stopped them!'_ he thought as he sliced through a Shadow, making it vanish back into darkness. Leon gritted his teeth as he fired at a Heartless that was about to lunge at him, destroying it. He glared at the final one as it lunged to attack, but was stopped in midair by a slash from his gunblade. As it vanished back into darkness, Leon let his gunblade rest at his side as he looked around. "How can this be...?" he asked himself. He then narrowed his eyes. "I've got to tell Cid and Merlin."

Just then, he saw a portal open somewhere in town, seeing three figures fall out of it. "What?" he questioned with surprise as he squinted to get a better view. However, the portal quickly closed up as soon as the figures fell out of it.

However, he was unaware that while he was looking that way, a portal opened up on the opposite side of town and two figures could be seen falling out of it...

* * *

Yuffie Kisaragi jogged throughout the town of Radiant Garden, saying hello to several residents as she headed down a path. Ever since the Heartless vanished, she now had more time to relax and help rebuild her home.

However, she skidded to a halt and gasped. "What the...?!"

Lying sprawled out in the path behind several buildings were three unconscious teenagers; two boys and one girl. One of the boys had dark brown hair while the other had slightly spiky black hair. The girl had long shaggy brown hair that seemed to hang everywhere as of the moment. Yuffie noticed that their clothes had some cuts and tears, as well as some slight bruising on their skin.

"What in the world happened to you? You get mugged?" Yuffie asked them as she knelt down to examine them to see if they were alright. None of them responded to her question. She sighed. _'Of course they won't answer right now...'_ the ninja thought to herself. She then noticed something out of the corner of her eye and gasped. In the unconscious girl's hand was...

"A... A Keyblade?!" Yuffie nearly screamed in shock. There was someone other than Sora and Riku who could use a Keyblade?!

Quickly snapping out of her stupor, she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder and started shaking it. "Hey. Hey, you girl. You okay? Can you hear me?"

At first, the brunette didn't respond, but a moment later, the girl's eyes twitched a bit and she shifted slightly. A soft groan escaped the girl's lips as she cracked open her green eyes. "W-What... What happened...?" she asked softly.

"Hey, where'd you come from? What happened to you?" Yuffie asked.

"T... T-there were... t-these black monsters with... with yellow eyes... they a-attacked us..." the teenager said weakly before her eyes closed and her head lolled to the side as she passed out again. Yuffie blinked before she nudged her shoulder gently. "Hey. Hellooo...?" she drawled out as she gently slapped her cheek, but received no response. She then moved over to the two teenage boys to check on them, but they were still unconcious as well.

She sighed and pushed herself up to her feet. "Great... maybe Merlin and Aerith can help these guys... but how am I supposed to drag all three of them there?!" she asked herself as she threw her arms up into the air. However, she then gasped as she realized what the girl had told her. "Wait... black monsters with yellow eyes... HEARTLESS?!"

If the Heartless were back... then... she needed to tell the others right away!

Quickly, she grabbed the girl with the Keyblade and hoisted her over her shoulder before grabbing both boys by the back of their shirts and began dragging them down the path into town. The sight of her attempting to carry/drag the teenagers throughout town was a rather humorous, but odd sight for some of the residents in the Town Square. The ninja panted as she struggled to support all three of them. Nearby, Scrooge McDuck stood at his ice cream stand waiting for customers when he noticed Yuffie.

"Ah, Yuffie! How are ya today, lass? Care for some-" he began, but gasped as he saw the three beat up teens. "Oh my goodness! What happened?!"

"I don't know! I found them in the middle of a path like this!" Yuffie strained. "Now can you please help me with them?!"

Scrooge immediately set up a CLOSED sign at his stand and rushed over to her, dragging the black haired boy as they headed to Merlin's house. Yuffie opened the door with her free hand as she and the duck entered. Cid was at his computer typing away.

"... systems stable. Perimeter's okay." he said to himself, unaware that they had entered.

"Cid..." Yuffie gritted out. Cid looked over his shoulder seeing her. "Oh, Yuffie. There you are. Have you heard from Leon-"

He paused seeing the unconcious teenagers and his eyes widened. "What do we have here?" he asked as he got up from his seat and walked over to her. "I found them like this. The girl told me their home was attacked by black monsters with yellow eyes." she explained, straining a bit.

"Heartless?! But how?" Cid asked.

"I don't know, but please take one of them before my back breaks!" Yuffie exclaimed, ready to collapse onto her stomach. Cid quickly took the teenage boy with the black jacket and carried him over to a mattress. Yuffie sighed with relief and set the unconcious teen girl on a blanket. "Where's Merlin and Aerith?" Yuffie asked the older man. "Merlin should be back here any minute, but Aerith went out to gather some herbs. She should be back soon." Cid replied. His eyes widened seeing the Keyblade in the girl's hand. "What the?!" he exclaimed.

"I know! That's what I was thinking!" Yuffie told him.

"These young lads and this lass don't look like they're from around here." Scrooge observed.

"You think they're from another world?" Yuffie inquired.

"Could be... but we can ask them once they're awake. You can go now, Scrooge." Cid muttered as he placed his hands on his hips. The duck headed to the door and opened it, leaving as a man with a long white beard wearing glasses, as well as a light blue wizard robe and a matching hat stepped in carrying a suitcase. "I"m back. That took longer than expected." he called as he shut the door behind him. "Merlin, you might wanna see this." Cid called over his shoulder. The man, Merlin, walked over to them with slight confusion. "I say, what's the matter- oh, dear!" he gasped. He immediately conjured up three cots and set the teenagers in them before he began to check on them for any injuries. He furrowed his brow as he looked at Yuffie. "Did they tell you anything?"

"I managed to get the girl to wake up for a few seconds. She told me that their home was attacked by black monsters with yellow eyes... The Heartless attacked them." Yuffie answered, causing Merlin's eyes to widen. "Heartless...? No..." he whispered.

"Are you deaf, old man? Yeah, Heartless!" Cid said. Merlin glared at him at the 'old man' comment and returned to examining the teenagers. "These kids were lucky to escape. They were scratched quite a bit by the Shadows." he observed before he casted a spell with a green aura to it. "Cure!"

The three unconcious teenagers were surrounded by the glow as their bruises and cuts disappeared, but the damage to their clothing remained. "We must contact Sora, Riku, and King Mickey." he said to Cid and Yuffie. He waved his hand and a feather dipped itself into ink and began writing on paper. When it was finished, Merlin placed it in a bottle and surrounded the bottle with an aura. He walked over to the window, sending the bottle up towards the sky until he couldn't see it anymore. "There we go. They should be here soon."

"How do you know that, Merlin?" Cid asked.

"Trust me, I used a spell to get it there quicker." Merlin replied. "Yuffie, keep watch over them until they wake up, please." he requested to the ninja.

"Sure thing, Merlin." Yuffie nodded as she took a stool and sat by the cots, waiting for them to awaken.

* * *

Aerith quietly strolled through the town as she carried her basket filled with herbs at her side. She smiled softly as she felt the wind blow through her brown hair gently. She missed these days ever since Radiant Garden was destroyed, but now that it was safer and being restored, she could finally enjoy strolling down a path without looking over her shoulder for any threats.

Suddenly, she felt her foot caught on something and nearly tripped. The young woman stumbled, but regained her balance and adjusted her basket with a sigh.

Aerith looked down at what she nearly tripped on and gasped holding a hand to her mouth. A teenage boy and girl were lying on the ground with no signs of consciousness! The girl had very tanned skin, almost like a Cherokee's, with brown hair that had two strands braided at the sides, as well as a ponytail. The girl wore a red vest over a slightly darker red long sleeved shirt with blue jeans and knee high boots.

The boy had walnut brown hair and wore a dark blue jacket with three zippers on the right side of his chest and a zipper on each shoulder over a black shirt with long red sleeves with a pair of blue jeans and black combat boots.

However, what shocked Aerith the most was that in the unconscious teenagers' hands were key shaped swords. Keyblades... just like Sora's.

Aerith knelt down and checked their pulses, thankfully finding one for both. "Excuse me? Can you hear me?" she tried to communicate with them, but the two teenagers were unresponsive. _'Maybe Merlin can help them?'_ she thought as she gently picked up the girl and supported her while she had to drag the boy. "Sorry about this." she apologized to the unconscious teen before she carried/dragged them towards where Merlin's house was located. She ignored the looks that the townsfolk were giving her as she made it to Merlin's, stepping inside as she made sure that she got the two teenagers through the door.

"Merlin, I found these two kids lying outside in the middle of the path." she called as Yuffie quickly rushed over to her. "You too?!" Yuffie asked with surprise. "I found three guys knocked out on the ground!" she told her older friend as she pointed at the three unconscious teenagers lying in cots nearby. "They said they were attacked by Heartless!"

Aerith's eyes widened."The Heartless are back?" she gasped.

"I'm afraid so." Merlin said grimly as he conjured up two more cots. Yuffie and Aerith set the two teens into each of them. "I have sent for Sora. He should get the letter sometime soon."

"Have you heard from Leon?" Aerith asked the Restoration Committee. Cid shook his head. "Nah, he's been out most of the day patrollin' the place."

Just then, the door open again and they saw Leon himself step into the room with a serious look on his face. "Leon, what's wrong?" Yuffie asked.

"The Heartless... they're in Radiant Garden." he told them grimly, earning gasps from Yuffie and Aerith and a frown from Cid. "It's worse than we thought..." Cid muttered. Leon looked at the five knocked out teens on the cots. "Who are they?" he inquired. "I don't know, but I can tell they are from different worlds." Merlin answered as he checked the newest additions for any wounds. "Three of them can also use Keyblades..."

Leon showed slight surprise seeing the three Keyblades.

"We must tell them of the threats when they awaken." Merlin told him. "Sora should receive my message I sent to him soon. Until then, we will have to wait until these five are conscious."

Leon leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Again, the Heartless were threatening his home... after so many years of fighting them off, they return to wreck more havoc. He wasn't going to stand and allow that. "I'm going out. Make sure that there aren't any Heartless in town." Leon spoke up as he headed to the door.

"Will you be alright?" Aerith asked.

Leon was silent for a moment before he looked back at them. "You know me." he replied simply before he stepped outside with his gunblade at his side.

* * *

Black was all Anne could see. Slowly, she began to regain consciousness and light started to fill her vision.

 _'What... happened...?'_ she thought. _'Was that... a dream...?'_

As her vision slowly cleared, a teenage girl with short black hair with black eyes wearing a black sleeveless jacket over a sleeveless black shirt with a floral pattern design that bared her midriff with a pair of light brown shorts with a few buckles here and there, as well as a black pouch, and a pair of knee high gray boots suddenly appeared above her face. "This one's awake!" she called. Anne was startled by this and bolted upright. The girl quickly moved her head back, thankfully avoiding hitting Anne in the forehead. "W-What the?!" Anne exclaimed with surprise. She looked down at her hand and gasped. The key sword from her dream was in her hand! It _wasn't_ a dream, it really happened!

"Yuffie! Merlin just healed them! You tryin' to give the kid a heart attack?!" an older male voice scolded. Anne looked around frantically seeing she was in a room with a large computer and several tables. At the computer sat an older man with blonde hair wearing a white shirt with blue pants and some kind of waistband, as well as goggles strapped to his head.

"W-Where am I?! What happened?! W-Who are you guys?!" she spluttered out with confusion. "Whoa, whoa, one question at a time!" the teenager told her. Anne's gaze then quickly fell on her unconscious friends. "Dylan! Chase!" she gasped.

"They're fine, just knocked out." the man told her from where he sat. "Now, before we answer anythin', do you remember what happened to you?"

Anne tried to calm down as she tried to remember everything. She remembered the high winds, the creatures, the dark sky...

"Oh! Back home, there were these black creatures with yellow eyes that attacked us at school. Chase, Dylan, and I tried to get home to see if my family was okay while avoiding these things, but we got sucked into some kind of portal... that's the last thing I remember before blacking out." Anne told them. "Now, uh... can you please tell me where I am...?"

"Well... you see, you're in another world. This world is called Radiant Garden." a woman with brown hair tied back in a ponytail replied.

The teenager's eyes widened. "A... another world?! No way!"

"Yes way." the teenager with black hair smirked. "That portal brought you here where I found you and your friends lying smack dab in the middle of the path."

"What about those black creatures? You know what they were?" Anne asked.

The black haired girl's smile fell. "They're called Heartless... creatures made of darkness that go after hearts."

"They rampage worlds to steal hearts and create more Heartless until there is nothing but darkness." the brown haired woman told her, then had a sympathetic look. "They plunge worlds into darkness... I fear that your world was swallowed by darkness."

Anne gasped. Her family was still back there! Her father, her mother, Boomer...

"Somethin' wrong?" the teenager asked her. "My family... I don't know if they're okay. What if... what if they didn't make it?!" Anne asked.

"Kid, I'm sure they made it. As long as they didn't have any darkness or weren't total-" the man began, but the girl cut him off. "Cid, you're not helping. Anyway, I'm Yuffie. This is Aerith, the guy at the computer is Cid, and that guy over there is Merlin." she introduced as she pointed at the sorcerer by a table with some books.

"I-I'm Anne... those guys right there are my friends Chase and Dylan..." Anne told them, then noticed an unconscious teenage boy and girl lying on a set of cots. "Who are they?"

"We... don't exactly know yet." Yuffie replied. Anne's eyes widened, seeing that the girl and boy had Keyblades in their hands just like she did! Except theirs looked rather different. The blade part of the girl's Keyblade was an array of colors intertwining with each other while the teeth was made up of a combination of a crescent moon and the sun. The hilt was pure white with a dark guard around it and the Keychain was a white orb. As for the boy's Keyblade, the blade was a long black pole with a fist forming the teeth. The handle was white with dark guards and the keychain was a boxing glove.

Just then, Chase shifted in his cot, then let out a soft groan. "Oww... what hit me...?" he mumbled as he sat up. Dylan had awoken shortly after. The brothers had a similar reaction as Anne did when Cid, Yuffie, and Aerith repeated what they had told Anne. "Okay, I have got to be dreaming." Chase said before he smacked himself in the face as hard as he could. "Ow! Nope, not dreaming." he groaned.

"This is very much real, my boy." Merlin said to him. "The Heartless pose as a threat to all. That item you have in your hand, Anne, is called a Keyblade. It can release hearts from a Heartless and open any lock." he explained. Anne looked down at her Keyblade with confusion. "It can...?"

"If in the right hands. If not, it could bring chaos to the universe." Merlin told her. Anne's eyes widened at this information. "But... why do I have it? Why do they have Keyblades, too?" Anne asked as she gestured to the unconscious teens. "The Keyblade chooses who wields it. It chose you, just as theirs chose them." Merlin explained. "However, many who turn to darkness seek the power of the Keyblade for their own evil desires."

"You mean..." Dylan's eyes widened. Merlin nodded grimly. "However, our good friend Sora has stopped their plans every time."

"Who's Sora?" Chase asked.

"A very good friend of ours who also has a Keyblade." Aerith replied. "He stopped Maleficent, the Organization, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness..."

The three teenagers simply looked at her with confusion. "Who...?" Dylan asked.

"Maleficent is an evil sorceress who wishes to plunge everything into darkness. She was the reason our home was destroyed first. She controlled the Heartless for years. She was defeated once, but came back now and is somewhere out there with her cohort Pete, the bumbling fool. Organization XIII was a group of Nobodies who were causing trouble in other worlds to create Kingdom Hearts." Merlin answered.

"Nobodies?" Anne asked.

"Geez, so many questions." Yuffie joked. "Nobodies are formed when someone loses their heart to darkness, but their body is left behind and acts on its own. If the heart was strong enough, the Nobody can retain its former human form."

"That's what the Organization was consisted of. Sora defeated each of them with his friends." Aerith added. "We don't know how the Heartless have returned, yet, but we'll-"

She was cut off by the sound of groaning. They saw the two teenagers from before slowly sit up in their cots looking a bit disoriented. The boy held his head. "Ugh... what happened...?"

The girl gasped seeing the group. "Who... Who are you?" she inquired. "My name is Cid. This is Yuffie, Aerith, Merlin, Anne, Dylan, and Chase. Now, who are you?" Cid asked.

"I-I'm Clair Fay. This is my cousin, Jason Norman." she answered. Jason simply crossed his arms. "You gonna tell us what happened?" he asked.

Clair looked around. "Where are we? What is this place?"

"This is the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee HQ." Yuffie answered, but only got a couple of blank stares from them. "You're in another world."

"Another world? Are you saying we're on an alien planet?" Jason asked before Merlin's rod whacked him on the head. "Ow!"

Merlin shook his head. "A world is very different from a planet. Planets are part of a world, but require a great deal of travel to get there. A world is more. Its own universe with its own history and rules, and usually you need magic or a vessel to travel to them."

"Magic?" Clair asked. "Are you saying magic is real?"

"Very real." Merlin nodded. "Big deal. Just tell me how to get back home and we'll be on our way." Jason said with a shrug. Yuffie, Aerith, Merlin, and Cid looked at each other.

Cid broke the silence. "You may not have a home to go back to."

Anne could sense the fear in Clair. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Aerith asked.

Jason thought about it as he recalled the events that happened. "All was fine until these... whatever they were, just started popping out of the shadows and attacking people."

"Then these giant keys appeared in our hands." Clair added as she showed her Keyblade. "Everything got dark and the next thing we know we're here."

"I'm afraid the Heartless might've found your world's heart and swallowed it." Merlin said sadly.

"What?!" The cousins exclaimed. Anne froze at this new information. "T-Then... our families...?!" she asked. "What happened to them?!"

Merlin closed his eyes and stroked his beard. "Either they were able to escape in some way... or were swallowed up along with your world." he told them solemnly. Anne felt as if an anvil dropped on her from the explanation. She... might never see her parents or Boomer again...?

She was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts by Merlin. "Now, then. You must be prepared for what is about to come." he said to them. "How? We barely know how to use these things!" Jason pointed out as he dangled his Keyblade in front of him.

The old sorcerer stroked his beard as he opened his eyes. "All in good time, but let me ask you... do you want to learn how to use magic?"


	4. Of Fighting and Magic

**Thanks to DinoWriter23 with helping me with this chapter!**

* * *

"Us? Learn magic...?" Dylan repeated with surprise.

Merlin nodded. "Namely those of you who can use those Keyblades." he said as he headed over to one of his desks. "Magic can be quite useful in sticky situations. If used correctly, it can be very effective against certain enemies."

"But... what about Dylan and I? We don't have those key-thingies." Chase pointed out.

"Having a Keyblade isn't fun and games." Merlin said. "It carries a tremendous responsibility. You must be willing to put the needs of others ahead of your own, even if it costs you your life."

Anne gulped. "Please tell me that was a joke."

"This is no laughing matter." Merlin said.

"Well, how do Chase and I fight, then?" Dylan asked. "If they are really that bad, then won't he and I get pummeled out there?"

Merlin stroked his beard for a moment. "Hmm... you're right about that, my boy. You two, come with me." he told the Enheart brothers as he clapped his hands and the cots the brothers were sitting on vanished. Dylan got off his in time, but Chase didn't and landed on his back when his cot disappeared. Chase groaned while Dylan hid a snicker as they were led over to a chest lying in the corner. Merlin opened it and pulled out two odd items. One was a sword with a lightning bolt pattern on the sides of the blade and the other was a glowing blue orb.

"Whoa, what's that?" Chase asked.

"These are something special that I've been keeping for quite some time until someone could use them. Dylan, this sword is special. It can shoot lightning at your enemies. Use it wisely." Merlin advised as he handed the teen the curved sword with its sheath. Dylan's eyes widened before he gently took it and strapped it to his back. Merlin was about to open his mouth when the orb suddenly floated out of his hand and entered Chase, making him glow for a moment before it died down. Chase's eyes widened as he felt something different about him. "Whoa... what just happened? Why did I light up like a light bulb?!" he asked.

"Interesting... it appears that this power chose you." Merlin said.

"Power? What power?"

"The power of speed." the sorcerer answered, smiling a bit when he saw Chase's wide eyed expression. "Why don't you test it out?"

Chase stepped back and then took off running, but much to his brother, Anne, Jason, and Clair's shock, as well as his, he was running at super speeds, looking like a blur. "No... way..." Dylan gasped.

"THIS IS AWESOME!" Chase whooped as he ran around his brother in circles at high speeds, kicking up a lot of dust in the process. He never ran so fast before in his life! This was incredible!

Merlin then sighed and managed to grab the teen by the back of his jacket, stopping him immediately. "Alright, that's enough." he said. Chase pouted slightly, but stayed still. "Now, before anything... you three will need appropriate clothes. You can't go around looking like that." Merlin pointed out. Anne looked down at her torn clothes and realized what he meant. They'd look like they just got out of a jungle if they traveled in their torn clothes.

Merlin got his wand ready and muttered an incantation as he waved it in the air. Anne, Chase, and Dylan were surrounded by a glow before the glow illuminated the room and blocking them from the others' view. When the light died down, Clair's eyes widened seeing that they were in brand new clothing. Anne's eyes widened as she looked down at her new clothes.

She now wore a zipped up short sleeved gray and black jacket with a black high collar over a black shirt. The jacket's short sleeves were black and trimmed with red at the edge, as well as near the bottom of her jacket. With it, she wore black fingerless gloves, as well as baggy blue jeans with simple black boots. However, the most prominent feature of her new clothes was the symbol of a lion roaring on the back of her new short sleeved jacket.

Chase now wore a dark green short sleeved jacket over a lighter green long sleeved shirt with blue patches at the elbows. His jacket had a zipper on each sleeve and the pockets were trimmed with a lighter green color. He also wore dark blue pants with a pouch on the right leg with brown boots.

Dylan now wore a red t shirt underneath a gray vest that had a hood attached to it with golden zippers at the pockets. Along with it, the teenager now wore black pants that ended above his ankles with silver zippers on the sides with a pouch strapped to his belt and black shoes. His new sword was still strapped to his back.

"Whoa, check out the new duds!" Chase gasped as he looked down at himself. "Wow, thanks!" Dylan told Merlin gratefully as he looked at his new clothing. Anne's eyes widened as she looked at her headphones, which were still around her neck. They looked good as new! All signs of scratches had vanished.

"Don't worry about it." Merlin replied. "Now, shall we begin?"

* * *

Merlin led the five to a large room. Inside the room was an assortment of chairs, tables, cabinets, and other types of furniture. Anne was amazed that all that furniture could fit into this tiny room.

The sorcerer tapped the wall with his rod. To everyone's surprise the furniture began flying off the ground and came towards them. The five of them ducked to avoid being hit by chairs. "I thought you were supposed to be training us!" Dylan said to Merlin.

"I am." Merlin said casually. "Block the furniture with your magic."

A cabinet began chasing Chase around. Although he was much faster, the cabinet was persistent. "All I can do is run, and you expect me to survive your little home horror film?! Attack of the Killer Furniture?!"

"How do we use magic?!" Clair questioned. She nearly had her head taken off by a table. "Whoa!"

Anne blocked a chair with her Keyblade. The force of the impact forced her back, causing her to lose her balance and fall over. She growled at the furniture, which seemed to have minds of their own. "Is he trying to kill us?!" Dylan asked frantically as he dove down and covered his head as a lamp flew over his head.

"I can't believe I'm fighting furniture!" Jason growled.

Anne thought as she struggled to avoid the furniture. In most stories she remembered fire was an element associated with passion and anger. Maybe there was a key in that, but didn't stories also make anger out to be a bad thing? Anne decided to focus on the things she was passionate about. She thought about her favorite songs, her favorite shows, her favorite books, and many other things. She concentrated and pointed her Keyblade at an incoming chair, imagining a fireball materializing at the tip. "Fire!" A ball of fire shot out from the end of her weapon and hit the chair, setting it on fire. Her green eyes widened in surprise at this.

The Enheart brothers' jaws dropped at the display.

"Well done!" Merlin praised from where he stood.

"How did you...?" Jason asked.

The teenager slowly lowered her Keyblade, shocked at what she just did. "I... I just thought about my favorite things." Anne explained.

Clair face palmed herself. "Duh! Fire is passion!" She pointed her Keyblade at a cabinet and shouted, "Fire!" The fireball shot out and hit the cabinet. "Fire!" Jason exclaimed, but nothing happened. "Fire!" Nothing. Jason growled in frustration and began shaking his Keyblade. "Come on, you stupid chunk of metal. Work! Fire!" A big fireball came out of his Keyblade, knocking him back into the wall. The fire started spread out uncontrollably. "Uh oh." he paled, realizing he messed up big time.

"Alakazam!" Merlin cried out, putting out the fire and causing the furniture to stop moving around. Chase sighed with relief. "Watch your emotions. Magic is tied to them. The less control you have over them, the less controllable your magic will be."

"Got it." Anne nodded. "What's next?"

"We'll try the Blizzard spell." Merlin said as he reactivated the furniture. Again they had to duck to avoid getting hit. Jason wasn't as quick and got knocked off his feet.

Blizzard. Ice. Cold. Firm. Unmoving. Had she ever felt like that? Anne couldn't remember a time. She thought about Josh. She hated him and how he always acted like the universe revolved around him. He used to make her feel like dirt, and..."Blizzard." Ice flew from her keyblade and froze a table. "Yes!"

"Awesome!" Chase said as he ran around. However he stepped on some of the ice that Anne created, and slipped and fell. "Wipeout..." he groaned as he held his back.

Clair laughed at that. "How did you do that?"

"I tried to feel as cold as possible." Anne shrugged.

"I think I'll try something else." Clair said. Pointing her keyblade, she said, "Blizzard." A ball of ice shot out and froze a chair.

"So what were you thinking?" Anne inquired.

Clair smiled. "Having fun in winter."

A cry came from Jason. They turned to see he had frozen his face. It took a few seconds, but everyone started laughing at the sight. Chase ended up having to lean against Dylan so he wouldn't fall over laughing. "Y-You should see your face!"

Merlin thawed Jason's face. "Now try the Thunder spell."

"Finally. I can learn how to use this thing." Dylan smiled as he unsheathed his sword. He pointed it at the furniture, but no lightning came from it. He looked at it and shook it. "Okay, why isn't it shooting the lightning?"

"Try concentrating." Chase suggested as he touched it. The sword suddenly activated and bolts of lightning hit Chase, sending him into a chair. Both Chase and the chair crashed into the floor. Chase sat up with his hair sticking up and steam coming off him. "What happened?"

Anne burst into laughter at the look on her friend's face.

Dylan chuckled. "I think I'm going to love this thing." he smiled as he looked at the sword in his hand.

"So how do we activate the Thunder-whoa!" Lightning shot out of Anne's keyblade and hit the nearest table. She looked at her Keyblade with shock. "That's the fastest I've gotten a spell to work. I didn't even have to concentrate."

"Wow..." Clair said. "That's awesome."

"Big deal. Just point, say Thunder and..." Nothing came out of Jason's Keyblade. "What the? Come on, work!"

"Maybe try feeling it, Jason." Clair suggested. Jason just glared at her as he continued to try and get the keyblade to work. Still nothing happened. Clair pointed her keyblade at a chair. "Thunder." Lightning shot out and shocked a chair. "Oh, come on!" Jason complained. Finally, Jason got the Thunder spell to work. Unfortunately it was too powerful. Bolts flew across the room and shocked everyone except Merlin. "YEEEOW!" Anne and Chase exclaimed.

The result was everyone collapsed on the ground, groaning in pain.

Clair looked at her cousin from where she was laying. "Maybe magic isn't your style." she winced. "Ya think?" Anne asked. It was a good thing she didn't have a mirror handy because her hair was a frightful mess, and not in the way she liked it.

Merlin looked over them. "Perhaps now we should go over the wind spell."

"I think I'm good." Clair said.

"This spell is important. It uses the wind to block enemy attacks." Merlin explained.

Anne sat up at this. "Okay, let's learn it."

Merlin twirled his wand around him. "Aero." he spoke calmly. Clair couldn't see anything, except Merlin's beard being blown by the wind. "Now try to hit me with a spell." the sorcerer instructed them. Dylan pointed his sword at Merlin and shot lightning at him. However the wind spell deflected it and the lightning collided harmlessly with the wall. Anne was impressed with that magic.

"You'll find this spell also protects you from melee attacks, and may save your life." Merlin told them. "Now practice with each other."

Anne closed her eyes and concentrated, thinking of wind. "Aero!" Anne cast the spell around herself. The breeze around her tickled a bit. Dylan shot his lightning at her. She felt it, but it wasn't as intense as before. This spell really could protect her.

Chase ran around them with his new super speed. "Tag-ow!" He held his hand. "That hurt!"

Anne smiled. "Now we know it'll keep us safe."

Clair cast Aero around her with ease. Jason tried, but failed. Angry, he swung his keyblade around and nearly hit his cousin. Thankfully her wind spell kept her from getting hurt. She still wasn't pleased. "Whoops." Jason cringed. "Sorry..."

"Maybe you shouldn't lose control like that." Chase suggested.

Dylan looked at his brother. "Like you haven't lost your cool." he smirked.

"Hey!" Chase whined. Everyone laughed at that.

"Try again, Jace." Clair told him.

Jason glared at her. "Don't call me that." He tried again with Aero, but didn't get anything. He yelled in frustration and threw his keyblade to the ground. It reappeared in his hand just as a cabinet knocked him down.

"Jason, come on. Focus." Clair encouraged. Jason got up growling, but a chair knocked him back.

"Aero. Aero. Aero!" Jason tried again, and finally got a breeze around him. "Yes!" Chase was still able to tap him on the shoulder, though.

Merlin waved his wand and the furniture stopped moving. "There we go. You have the basic spells down, but you will learn more as you progress."

"Alright. Sounds like a plan." Chase clapped his hands together. No sooner did he do so than lightning flew between his hands. Chase made comical sounds as the electricity ran through his body. Everyone looked as they saw him fall over. When he sat up his hair was smoking and static was racing through it. "Whoa..." was all Dylan could say at the display.

"I didn't know I could do that." Chase coughed.

"Hm, it appears you can, my boy. But you must learn how to control it. Try shooting lightning at me." Merlin instructed.

The eldest Enheart brother concentrated as he tried to summon that lightning from earlier. Much to his surprise, the lightning appeared in his hands. He chucked it at Merlin, but he blocked it with ease with a flick of his wand. "Well done, well done!" Merlin praised. Chase whooped as he jumped up in excitement and ran around in a green and blue blur, kicking up dust, but unknowingly using the Aero spell as it surrounded him. Dylan then grabbed him by his jacket, causing him to stop immediately.

"All of you, you must be careful of which spells you use when facing an opponent. They may be resistant to a certain spell or the spell may help them, so if you choose the right spell, it'll affect them greatly." Merlin explained to them from where he stood. Clair then piped up. "Wait a minute. If we're going to be fighting a lot, shouldn't we learn a spell to heal ourselves? That does exist, doesn't it?"

"Of course it does." Merlin confirmed in a matter-of-fact tone. "Healing is a fundamental part of magic."

"So how do we learn to heal?" Anne inquired. "Healing is an act of kindness, of generosity, compassion." Merlin explained. "When using this spell you must want to help your friends, even if you are the one who is hurt."

Anne raised an eyebrow. "Why do you need to want to help someone if you're the one who's hurt?"

"Because if your friend is unable to fight, they won't be able to help you." he told her. "If you tire yourself out, who would heal you?"

The teenagers made sure to make a mental note of this. If they needed help, they'd make sure to turn to each other. Clair nodded. "Makes sense." She pointed her Keyblade at Jason and focused. "Cure!" Green leaves floated around him as his bruises and cuts he gained from the furniture fight disappeared. Jason looked down at himself. "Okay, now _that_ is cool."

"Cure!" Anne cast the spell on Dylan. The green leaves appeared around him and made his cuts vanish. "Now this is a nice spell." Dylan commented as he looked at his healed arms. Clair then looked at Chase and focused, imagining that he was healed as she casted the healing spell on him. "Cure!" she called as the damage Chase received from the lightning vanished and his hair went back down to normal. "That was easy." Clair commented.

"Cure." Jason tried, but nothing happened. "Cure!" Nothing. "Dang it."

"Another spell to use is Magnet." Merlin continued, ignoring Jason's rather humorous attempts to cast the healing spell. "It will allow you to bring your enemies to you."

Chase looked at him and rose an eyebrow. "Why would we want that?"

"It can give you the advantage in battle. Using this spell confuses your foes and gives you time to gain the upper hand." Merlin explained. Chase then resumed running at super speed. "I think that my speed will be enough to confuse those creeps!" he bragged. Dylan rolled his eyes at his brother's antics, then got an idea. He smirked and focused as he prepared to cast the spell.

"Magnet!" Dylan called. Chase suddenly found himself floating around in the air. "Wha- Hey!" he protested while Anne and Dylan smiled and laughed at his predicament. "Now _that_ is funny!" Anne laughed as she held her sides. "Nice one, Dyl!"

"Lemme down!" Chase exclaimed. "Come on, guys, this isn't funny!"

"I think it is." Anne smirked. Chase groaned and hung his head. Even Jason smiled at the situation.

Dylan looked at Merlin. "Quick question, how long until the spell wears-"

The spell ended, causing Chase to fall and land on his face. Dylan cringed. "-off?" he finished. "Right about now." Merlin simply chuckled. Chase got up, then quickly scooted away from Dylan and Anne. "Please don't use me for your magical pranks." he pleaded.

"We won't." Anne smiled. "But I gotta say, this is going to be so much fun."

"As I said, you must use these spells wisely when facing enemies. One wrong move and they will overwhelm you." Merlin warned. "So you must stay focused. Now, you should go back upstairs. I'm sure Yuffie and Leon, if he's back, will be willing to train you in combat."

As the five began to go back upstairs, Merlin stopped Clair. During the magic training, Merlin had been observing them carefully and noticed that Clair managed to cast spells with no problem. This intrigued him.

"Yes?" Clair asked. "You seem to have a gift for magic." Merlin observed.

The teenager blinked. "I do?"

Merlin nodded. "I have lived a long time, and I can see you have great potential."

Clair gasped. "I-! always read about people who could use magic, but I didn't think I could ever use it." she told him. Merlin nodded once again. "Well, I've seen you master those spells with ease. More ease than anyone I've taught."

"I don't see how." Clair said. "I'm just a teenage girl from the city. How could I be so skilled at magic?"

"There are many things we don't understand." Merlin explained. "Yet, I would like to teach you."

Clair nodded. "Y-yes. Of course." she stammered. She was shocked that she could use magic, but now a sorcerer would teach her more? She didn't know what to think! However, she was pulled out of her thoughts as Merlin pulled out a suitcase and opened it. "Watch this." he told her.

"What does this spell do?" Clair asked.

"It'll allow you to carry all your stuff in one bag." Merlin grabbed a stool and stood on it. Tapping the side, Merlin began the spell. "Higitus Figitus zumbabazing. I want your attention everything!" he called. To Clair's surprise everything in the room turned and looked at Merlin. "What the?!" she gasped.

"This is very useful for packing." Merlin said, then continued his chant.

 _"Hockety pockety wockety wack_  
 _Abracabra dabra nack_  
 _Shrink in size very small_  
 _We've got to save enough room for all_  
 _Higitus Figitus migitus mum_  
 _Pres-ti-dig-i-ton-i-um!"_

Clair kept moving out of the way of flying furniture. She watched as they shrunk and vanished into the bag. _'This spell would really come in handy for traveling.'_ she thought to herself as she ducked as a pot sailed over her head.

 _"Ali-i-ca-fez bal-a-ca-zez_  
 _Malacamez meripides_  
 _Hockety pockety wockety wack_  
 _Odds and ends and bric a brac."_

A chair suddenly swooped up Clair, making her yelp in surprise. She quickly got off it, but everything was shrinking quickly. Merlin seemed to be finishing up.

 _"Higitus Figitus migitus mum,_  
 _Pres-ti-dig-i-ton-i-um._  
 _Higitus Figitus migitus mum,_  
 _Pres-ti-dig-i-ton-i-um!"_ he finished. Merlin slipped off the stool as it shrunk and went into the bag, which closed on its own. Clair opened it and was surprised to see everything fit into the suitcase with no problem. She looked at Merlin with wonder in her eyes. "That was... amazing!" she managed to get out.

"Just don't get the idea that magic will solve all your problems because it won't." Merlin told her.

Clair nodded. "I've read it comes with a price."

"Some, but not all." he said. Clair looked at him. "I'm a little scared." she admitted. "Don't be." Merlin assured her. "The true magic exists in education."

Clair paused and thought about it. "Well, I do like learning."

"Then you will be a mage in no time." Merlin said.

"Mage?" Clair asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "I thought the term was sorceress."

"Oh, no, no, no." Merlin insisted. "Mage is the correct term." he corrected. "Now first, you will need to learn how to read certain languages, such as Latin."

This received a blank stare from Clair. "I... haven't studied that before." she admitted. "Oh, no worries. With my help, you'll be able to learn it in no time, then move on to spells!" Merlin told her as he got a book out. "This won't take too long, will it? With what's going on out there?" Clair asked as she took the book.

"Of course it won't. With how fast you could perform those spells, I'm sure you can do this before Sora arrives." he assured her. Clair was hesitant at first, but sat down and began to read the book, memorizing the content of it as Merlin observed.

* * *

Meanwhile, upstairs, Yuffie was pacing back and forth in front of Anne, Jason, Chase, and Dylan as if she were a commanding officer. "Alright, newbies! You're gonna be facing really powerful enemies soon, so you're gonna have to know how to fight!"

"I already know how to, so-" Jason began casually, but was silenced when Yuffie pointed at him. "You don't know how to use a Keyblade in combat! Luckily for you, I've been in combat against Heartless before, so I hope you're ready! Cause I don't go easy!" Yuffie said as she got out her fuma shuriken. "Okay, so Anne! Come at me!"

Anne held her Keyblade in her right hand as she charged at Yuffie, but the ninja jumped over her and kicked her in the back, sending her flat on her face. "Always be on your guard." Yuffie smirked at her back. The teenager groaned and held her nose as she pushed herself back up to her feet.

Jason swung at her with his Keyblade, but she easily blocked with her large shuriken and shoved him back. Dylan took a swing at her with his sword, but the ninja blocked him as well. Chase used his speed and appeared behind her. "Surprise!" he exclaimed as he kicked her legs from behind, knocking her onto her back. "Oof!" she groaned. "Okay, you pass. But you three still have to fight!" she exclaimed as she hopped back up.

Anne swung at her and managed to land a hit on her, making her stumble towards Jason, who slashed at her with his Keyblade. Yuffie was hit twice by it and she fell forward. However, the ninja quickly recovered and did a spin kick on the floor, sweeping Dylan's feet out from under him. She then threw her fuma shuriken at Anne, who reacted quickly and blocked it with her Keyblade. The shuriken spun in the air as it returned to Yuffie's hand. Dylan focused as he aimed his sword at Yuffie and shouted, "Thunder!"

Lightning shot out of it and almost hit Yuffie, but she dodged it thankfully. "Whoa!" she exclaimed in surprise. Jason then got an idea as he ran at her and swung his Keyblade at her feet, sweeping her off her feet and onto her back for the second time. "Ouch." Yuffie winced as she got up. "Okay, you asked for it!"

She charged at Anne and Jason and swung at them with her fuma shuriken at a fast pace, hitting them a few times in the process before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Anne winced as she looked around, wondering where she went. Suddenly, she sensed a presence behind her and quickly whirled around and blocked the blow in time with her Keyblade. Her eyes widened with surprise at that. "Nice one." Yuffie smirked, then suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke.

"What the-" Jason began, but was cut off by Yuffie suddenly appearing behind him. "Never let your guard down during battle!" Yuffie smirked as she slashed at him, but her shuriken was blocked by Jason's Keyblade. He managed to push her back and got ready just in case she were to attack again. Yuffie then relaxed and stood casually. "Okay, I think that's enough. Any more and I'm sure Cid will blow a gasket." she chuckled.

"I heard that!" Cid called from the computer.

The four teens sighed with relief as they relaxed. Anne focused and casted Cure, healing Jason, then herself. "Hey, why didn't Clair come up?" Chase finally pointed out.

"Hmm... well, knowing Merlin, he's probably talking to her about magic." Yuffie shrugged.

* * *

Back downstairs, Clair was reading from the book. She was enthralled by it. By the look of it she was already halfway through reading it. "I'm impressed with how you've breezed through that book." Merlin commented from where he stood.

Clair looked up. "Oh, I've always been a fast reader. Especially when I really like what I'm reading. It always helped in school."

"A useful skill to have." Merlin said. "We'll make a mage of you yet."

"When will I know when I'm ready to try some of this out?" Clair asked Merlin.

"Knowledge will come with time." Was the answer. "Well according to this, reciting the words for the spell helps one to focus on what they're doing." Clair read.

Merlin nodded. "It does. That's why I still rely on it. Some choose to move on to merely thinking the spell, but it's more dangerous."

The girl looked at him and rose an eyebrow. "Dangerous? How?"

Merlin pointed to the page. Clair read on before looking up. "It requires a great deal of concentration, and if you lose it the spell could go horribly wrong."

"Which is why new students are taught words and incantations. To help them focus." Merlin explained. "So, what shall we try first?" The sorcerer thought about it for a moment, then got an idea. "One of the basic tools for defending yourself would be the Plasma Bolt." Muttering to himself, Merlin caused a little ball of electricity to fire. It hit the wall, causing Clair to jump. "Now you try."

Clair repeated the words that Merlin said and saw the ball of electricity form in her hands. She fired it, but it ricochet off the walls and went upstairs. There was a cry as it hit someone, which happened to be Anne. "YEOW!"

Clair cringed a bit. "Oops. Sorry!"

"Very good." Merlin said. "Most take two dozen tries to get the plasma bolt."

Clair tried again. This time it hit the wall without bouncing off. "I got it!" she smiled.

"Excellent." Merlin nodded. "Now we can move on to catching opponents spells before they hit you."

Merlin held his hands together. "Cast a spell at me."

"I'm not going to-" she protested.

"Cast a spell." he insisted. The teenager sighed, but reluctantly complied.

"Fire!" A fireball came from Clair's keyblade and raced towards Merlin. However the old wizard caught it in the empty space between his hands. Clair gasped. "Whoa. Incredible..." she whispered.

Merlin made the fireball vanish. "Now you try." With that he threw a fireball at Clair. She screamed and held her hands in front of her to shield herself. However she didn't get burned. When she looked she saw that she had caught the fireball in a vacuum between her hands. She looked at it with awe. "This... this is amazing." Clair whispered, unable to think of anything else to describe this event.

Merlin nodded and stroked his beard. "You're learning magic faster than anyone I've seen." he told her. "You truly have a gift."

Clair thought about it. "Could that be a reason why the Keyblade chose me?"

"It could." Merlin shrugged. It was then Anne, Chase, Dylan, and Jason came back down the stairs. Anne looked as if she had been hit by a meteorite. Clair cringed at the sight and whistled, trying to look innocent. Merlin simply casted Cure and Anne was healed.

"Have you been in here learning magic tricks?" Dylan asked.

Clair nodded. "Yep."

"Can you pull a rabbit out of a hat?" Chase joked. This earned him a whack on the head from Merlin's wand. "What I'm teaching Clair is far more important than stage magic. What she's learning is the art and responsibility of the mystical."

"Sounds awesome." Anne commented. "It is." Clair smiled softly. "I'm loving it."

"But how are you going to keep learning when we're traveling?" Jason pointed out. "Unless you're staying here."

"Oh, that's an easy fix." Merlin simply replied. He said something that none of them caught, and a light came from a book. Clair opened the book and there was a blank page, yet it was clear as glass.

Clair looked at her new mentor. "What is this?"

"Use this page to contact me so I may continue to instruct you on your journey." Merlin instructed. "Just speak my name and the magic will work."

Anne looked at the page with interest. "Nice." she commented. "This is beautiful." Clair agreed with her.

Merlin smiled. "Magic can be a beautiful thing, but never as beautiful as knowledge and wisdom."

"So can we go kick some monster butt and save everything?" Chase asked.

Jason looked at him. "One problem; we have no idea how to find them." he pointed out.

"I'm afraid that some of the Heartless are in Radiant Garden. Leon is searching for them as we speak, but it appears that you will put your skills to the test sooner than we thought." Merlin told the five teenagers. "Now, you must learn combat-"

"Yuffie was way ahead of ya on that. She was knocking us onto our faces up there." Dylan told him. "But we managed okay."

Merlin looked at them. "But are you ready for facing the Heartless? They will not go easy on you."

Before the wizard could say anymore, Leon suddenly came down the stairs with a serious expression. "Merlin, Heartless are definitely in the town. I've had the residents stay inside so they'll be safe."

The five teenagers looked at him with surprise. "Y-You mean those monsters that attacked our home a-are here?" Dylan asked. Leon's nod confirmed it. "We'll need your guys' help. Are you ready for this?"

Anne, Dylan, Clair, Jason, and Chase all exchanged looks of uncertainty. They were just learning how to fight and use magic, but did they have what it takes to fight the Heartless?


	5. Flames of the Past

The five teenagers quickly followed Leon up the stairs to the main room. Yuffie was by the door with her shuriken ready. "About time, Squall! We gotta get moving."

"That's Leon." the young man corrected with a frown, then looked back at the group. "Come with us."

Yuffie opened the door and they rushed outside. Anne, Chase, Clair, Jason, and Dylan quickly followed the ninja out of the building. Anne blinked in confusion as she looked around, seeing no sign of enemy creatures. _'Where are they?'_ she thought to herself.

Leon frowned to himself. "Be on your guard. The Heartless will try to attack if you're not ready." he advised as he took off with Yuffie. "Whoa, wait up!" Dylan called as they ran after the two. They ran down a path that led to several houses, but then Leon screeched to a halt as he got his gunblade ready. "This is where I last saw the Heartless." he informed them.

Chase looked around and rose an eyebrow, seeing nothing but the buildings. "I don't see anything..." he shrugged.

"That doesn't mean they're not around." Leon told him as he looked around, ready to fight.

Just then, the familiar sound of the creatures of darkness materializing was heard. The five teenagers jumped seeing the Heartless. Jason's eyes widened, recognizing the creatures. "Those are the things that attacked our home!" he exclaimed as he gripped his Keyblade in his hand. "Those things attacked our home, too!" Chase realized as he jumped back a bit.

"Those are the Heartless?!" Anne asked.

"One of their many forms, but yeah." Yuffie told her before rushing at the Shadow Heartless with Leon. Yuffie slashed through a Shadow with ease as Leon moved towards the one behind it and brought his gunblade down on it. The two Shadows vanished into darkness.

Dylan then noticed another Heartless out of the corner of his eye and gasped. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, alerting them. Anne whirled around and noticed the Heartless, but this Heartless looked different from the ones she saw back home. This one had a dark blue body with black feet. The legs were colored a dark purple color at the front, but the back remained dark blue. The Heartless also had silver bracelets, red claws, and yellow dots for eyes, but the most prominent features were the silver helmet and the symbol of a heart with what looked like stitches in it. It's movement was also erratic and rather twitchy.

"Soldier." Leon observed as he readied his gunblade once again. Before either of the 'newbies' could react, the Soldier lunged at them and took a swipe. "Whoa!" Jason exclaimed as he bent backwards, thankfully avoiding it. The Solider looked around in a twitchy way as it prepared to attack again. This time, it rushed towards Clair, intent on attacking her. Clair gasped before quickly yelling, "Fire!", casting the Fire spell and hitting the Heartless with it. It recoiled and stumbled back at the attack. Her eyes widened at this, seeing the effects of the spell.

Seeing that the Soldier was defenseless, Jason took this opportunity and brought his Keyblade down on it, bringing damage to the Soldier. It shook a bit as it fell back, but it got back to its feet and charged at him again. "Oh, you want more?!" Jason asked before slashing at it, dealing a damaging blow to the creature of darkness. Anne then moved in to attack the Soldier. It turned to her just as the tip of her keyblade was buried in its face. The Heartless faded back into darkness, but then something shocking happened. Everyone gasped as a heart-shaped crystal floated up out of the Soldier. The heart continued up into the sky while the Heartless vanished. Anne's jaw dropped at the sight as the heart floated until it was out of sight. "What... was... that?!" she managed to get out.

"When a Heartless is defeated, the heart is released." Leon explained. "But where does it go?" Chase asked.

"It's supposed to return back to its owner-" Leon was cut off when a few more Shadows suddenly materialized. "Oh great..."

Yuffie acted fast and slashed through one of the Shadows, destroying it. She moved on to attack another one, but it sank into the ground and slithered its way towards Dylan. The teen's eyes widened in surprise, but he reacted quickly, pointng his sword at the Shadow and lightning shot out of it, hitting it as it vanished back into darkness. Dylan let out a sigh of relief, but another Shadow made its way towards his brother. Chase reacted fast and used his new speed to get out of the way, confusion the Heartless. "Over here!" Chase teased them before he shouted, "Thunder!"

However, it backfired and the lightning hit him instead. The others cringed as he yelled in pain and was covered in a charcoal black color from the lightning. He coughed as a small ball of smoke came out of his mouth. "Okay... maybe I should work on that..." he wheezed.

The Heartless merely stared before lunging to attack him. Chase moved quickly and dodged with his speed. The soot came off him as soon as he moved and without thinking, shouted, "Aero!"

A gust of wind picked up the Shadow and spun it around. Anne used this opportunity and slashed at it, destroying the Heartless. Leon and Yuffie stood back to back as the Heartless kept popping up. "How many are there?!" Yuffie complained.

Clair decided to tested out her new magic abilities and focused. "Blizzard!" she yelled, as she shot the attack at a Shadow, freezing it in place. Jason attacked it while it was frozen and it vanished back into darkness. "Nice one, Jace!" Clair called.

"Stop calling me that!" Jason groaned. Clair then hit a Heartless with her Keyblade a couple times, destroying it.

Anne jumped to the side to avoid an attack from a Shadow. "Just how many of these things are there?!"

"I don't know, but keep on your toes!" Leon advised as he took a Heartless down. Just then, the Shadows were taken out by fireballs that appeared to be thrown out of nowhere, taking them all out. Yuffie's eyes widened in surprise before looking back at the five, but they were confused as well. "Wasn't me." Jason shrugged.

"Thought you could use a hand!" a male voice called as they saw someone jump down from a roof and land nearby. The figure was revealed to be a young man with striking red spiky hair and bright green eyes wearing a black jacket with an orange flame pattern on the sleeves over an orange shirt with brown pants that bore a pouch attacked to the hip with black boots. Around his neck was a dark yellow scarf with frayed edges. The man gave a friendly smirk and a wave. "Hey, did I overdo it?"

"I'm pretty sure you did." Leon replied as he lowered his weapon. "Who are you?" Anne asked the mysterious man. He merely smirked in reply. "My name's Lea. Got it memorized?" he asked as he tapped his temple.

Ever since the Mark of Mastery incident several weeks ago, Lea had been staying in Radiant Garden to help rebuild it and also to learn more on how to use his Keyblade. "I see you got some new guys here." he observed as he looked at the five teenagers behind Leon and Yuffie. "This is Anne, Chase, Dylan, Clair, and Jason. Their worlds were attacked and they were brought here." Yuffie explained to the man. "We think their worlds were swallowed up by darkness."

Lea blinked in surprise. "Yikes... sorry to hear about that..." he told them, hiding his greater surprise. _'It's just like before... is Xehanort behind this?'_

The pyro was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed the key shaped swords in Anne, Clair, and Jason's hands and his eyes widened with even greater surprise. "Whoa, you guys have Keyblades?!" he asked. Anne looked down at the gray Keyblade in her hand before looking back at him. "Well, yeah, but we don't exactly know why they chose us."

Lea placed his hands on his hips. "Well, you see, a Keyblade chooses who wields it for a reason, just like my Keyblade chose me." he said as he held his hand out and in a fiery blaze, his Keyblade materialized. Jason jumped back in surprise and nearly tripped on his feet. "Whoa!"

Leon smirked slightly, remembering that he, Yuffie, Cid, and Aerith had nearly the same reaction when Lea first presented his Keyblade to them. "Yes, Lea has a Keyblade just like you do." he told them, but his face grew serious again as he looked around. "The Heartless have vanished for now, but they're bound to show up again soon... I'll keep watch. Lea, Yuffie, you take them back to Merlin's."

"Oh, so you're putting me on babysitting duty?" Lea joked, but Leon was already walking away with his gunblade at his side.

Clair then noticed that Chase was still injured by the Thunder attack that backfired earlier in the battle, so she casted Cure. "Cure!" she called, and almost instantly, his wounds vanished. "Thanks..." he winced as Lea and Yuffie led them back to Merlin's house. Dylan noticed that several residents nervously poked their heads out windows, but seeing that the coast was clear, they slowly stepped out to resume their daily business. Chase's stomach then rumbled. "Is there anywhere we can grab a bite to eat?"

Dylan's stomach grumbled shortly after. "Maybe some food would be a good idea."

"There's a restaurant not too far from here." Lea piped up. "I was thinking of grabbing a bite myself."

"But do you guys have munny?" Yuffie asked. At this, the five teens blanched. "No..." Anne admitted. Clair pulled out some odd change. "I have a few quarts."

Yuffie looked over it. "Sorry, but this isn't the right currency for this world."

"You serious?" Jason asked with surprise, then slumped over. "Well, that's just great..."

Clair looked at her useless money and sighed as she pocketed it. "So how are we supposed to buy things if we don't have the right currency?"

"I'm sure you teacher Mr. Merlin can help us think of something." Jason said sarcastically. Clair elbowed her cousin for that. "Oof!" Jason groaned as he hunched over. "Do different worlds have different currency?" Anne asked.

"Many of them do." Lea answered. "But as long as you have munny you should be alright."

Chase rose an eyebrow. "How come?"

"It always matches whatever form of currency another world has." Yuffie answered with a smile. "It's really handy."

Anne dug in her pockets to check again, but found nothing but her music player. "All I got right now is my music." she sighed. "How do we get some munny?" Chase asked.

Yuffie paused for a moment and thought about it. "Well, you can always do the odd job around town."

"Or we could just ask Merlin for help." Lea shrugged. "Yeah, let's ask Merlin." Dylan agreed quickly as they reached Merlin's house. However, just before they stepped in, Jason noticed a few pillars of light popping up here and there for a few seconds before vanishing. "What're those?" he asked. Yuffie turned around and noticed what he was looking at. "Oh, those? Those are called Claymore. They were created to help keep the Heartless away. We haven't used that in a long time, so I'm guessing Cid was really eager to use it again." she shrugged as she opened the door and let the other six in before stepping inside herself.

Cid was still at his computer typing away. "So, how'd it go out there?" he asked without taking his eyes off the screen. "Well, the new guys had a bit of a tough time fighting for the first time, but Lea came and helped us." Yuffie explained. Cid whirled around at the mention of the pyro and smirked. "Well, look who showed up!"

"Hey, old man. How's it goin'?" Lea smirked back.

"Working hard now that the Heartless are back. And don't call me old." Cid chided before getting back to work on his computer. "The Claymore has been activated again, so this will help give the newbies some time to rest."

It was then Merlin came up the stairs. "Hey, Merlin." Lea greeted casually.

"Ah, Lea! Good to see you again, lad. How are you?" Merlin asked as he polished his glasses. "Well, I was minding my own business when the Heartless appeared. I saw these guys fighting, so I thought I'd give them a hand." Lea shrugged. Chase's stomach then grumbled loudly. The teenager smiled sheepishly and held his stomach. "Heh... do any of you guys have food?" he asked.

"Yes, of course. As a matter of fact, I was about to have some tea. Care to join me?" Merlin invited them as he conjured up some seats for them all to sit in. "So, Clair, how was it fighting the Heartless with your new magic?" he questioned as he conjured up some food for them.

"Well, it was much different than fighting the furniture." she joked. Merlin nodded. "It'll be very different from now on. Would any of you care for sugar?"

All of the five raised their hands. "Careful, don't wanna give Chase too much sugar." Dylan then joked. Chase frowned at his younger brother for that comment. Merlin smiled and clapped his hands. "Sugar. Sugar." To their surprise the sugar bowl started moving on its own. It headed to Merlin but the wizard stopped it. "No, no. Manners, manners. Guests first. You know that." The sugar bowl turned around and headed to Anne. She watched in awe as it used a spoon to place the sugar in her cup. "When you have enough, say when." Merlin explained.

"When." Anne said almost immediately. The sugar stopped pouring and moved onto Clair, then Jason, then Chase, then Dylan. Once they received their sugar, the sugar bowl hopped away. Merlin then gathered some books. "So, do you have anything you want to know?" he asked them, but failed to notice the Sugar Bowl pouring sugar into his cup. The five teenagers exchanged a look before Anne asked, "When we were fighting those things, the Heartless, one of them had a heart that was released when I defeated it. What does that mean?"

"It means you've freed a heart the Heartless have captured." Merlin began. Jason and Clair tried to point out the sugar bowl, but Merlin went on. "That can be a very good thing, or a bad thing. Good because the heart might eventually rejoin with its Nobody, bad because..." Merlin finally noticed his cup was getting a mountain of sugar. "When! When! Blast it all! WHEN!"

The sugar bowl ran off, if that was the appropriate term, and hid behind the tea kettle while Merlin got the excess sugar out of his cup and wiped the table off with his beard. Chase and Jason snickered at the sight, but calmed down when Merlin had the table clean of any excess sugar. Merlin looked at them. "Okay, where was I?"

"Something about the heart might join with a Nobody." Clair told him as she took a sip of tea. "Oh, yes, yes." Merlin nodded. "As I was saying, a good thing is that once a person's Heartless and Nobody falls, the two halves will be reunited."

Anne looked up. "You mean it? The people those monsters take can be brought back?"

"Yes, but..."

"But what?" Jason asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"But... a bad thing is _who_ the person is that is brought back." he told them grimly. "You see, some time ago, there was a a group of Nobodies that used the hearts the Heartless collected to create their own version of Kingdom Hearts."

"Kingdom Hearts...?" Dylan asked with confusion. "What is that?"

"The heart of all worlds." Cid explained from his computer. "It's what connects the worlds to each other."

"According to legend, the worlds used to be one." Merlin said. "They all lived under the light of Kingdom Hearts. People began to seek it for themselves and brought darkness into the world, thus starting the Keyblade War."

Chase swallowed what he was eating. "How bad was it?"

"It ended the world."

At this, Chase started choking on his food in surprise. Jason quickly thumped him on the back to help him as he coughed. Chase wheezed as he regained his breath. "Ended the world?" Anne asked with wide eyes. This new information was shocking her more and more by the second.

Merlin nodded. "All except for seven children who had hearts of pure light. They rebuilt the world that had been destroyed, then divided it so the chaos of the Keyblade War could never happen again."

Lea then frowned as he set his teacup down. "But... someone wants to claim the power of Kingdom Hearts for himself." he spoke, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Who is he?" Anne asked.

"His name is Master Xehanort." Lea answered, frowning at the name. "Master Xeha-what?" Jason questioned. "He used to be the apprentice of our town's leader, Ansem the Wise." Yuffie said. "But Xehanort betrayed him and took Ansem's name as his own. But I don't think he was ever called 'Master'."

Lea blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, apprentice? The Xehanort I last saw was this old bald dude." Lea told her.

"Now, that is odd. I saw Xehanort before when he was an apprentice to Ansem the Wise, but he was quite young, about Leon's age." Merlin told them.

"Wait, what's going on?" Jason asked. Merlin frowned. "Something dark. Xehanort has tampered with forces best forgotten... but this... this is serious."

Lea closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "He wants to split his heart into thirteen pieces and put them in vessels."

"Why's that?" Anne inquired. Merlin looked somber. "To control the power of Kingdom Hearts, a terrible weapon was created. The X-Blade."

"According to what I heard, the X-Blade was split into twenty pieces: seven of light, thirteen of darkness." Lea added. This gave a feeling of uneasiness to the five teenagers. Anne gulped. "Thirteen pieces... of darkness?" she asked slowly. "This explains why thirteen's considered unlucky, and why seven is lucky." Chase joked, though it was clear he was worried. "The Seven pieces of light reside in the seven princesses of Heart." Merlin explained. "They are residing on their home worlds."

"What about the other thirteen?" Dylan asked. Lea frowned. "Have you heard of a group called Organization XIII?"

"No. What is it?" Clair asked. "They were a group of Nobodies that tried to create their own Kingdom Hearts." Merlin explained. "I used to be one of them when I was a Nobody, but I defected." Lea added.

"You what?!" Jason asked with surprise.

"I lost my heart to darkness several years ago and I became a Nobody with my friend, Isa. I was called Axel back during my time in the Organization." the pyro explained, but at the mention of Isa, the tone of his voice changed to sadness for a moment. "Isa was known as Saix, Xehanort's right-hand man. I had another friend in the Organization named Roxas, but he realized what was going on and left. He ended up joining with his original self. I left shortly afterwards and my Nobody sacrificed himself. My Heartless was defeated, also. So my heart and body joined up and good ole lea is back." He said with a faint smirk on his features. "So, do you know how to take these guys down?" Jason asked as he set his teacup down. Lea blinked, but shook his head. "The old Organization members were defeated a while ago, but now there are new members, so I'd have to say the answer is no."

Anne frowned. She didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean 'new members'?"

"You see... Xehanort split himself into two parts: Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and Xemnas, his Nobody. Xehanort intended the first Organization XIII to be his thirteen vessels of darkness, so his Nobody manipulated them into thinking Nobodies have no hearts. He hid the fact from us that a Nobody could grow a heart over time so that it would be easier to take over the Nobodies of the first Organization XIII. But some of them, like me, went against him. You think I would let someone take me over?" he asked rhetorically. "Vessels of darkness?" Clair asked, raisng an eyebrow.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Chase asked, feeling a bit of unease. All this talk about a seeker of darkness was making him nervous. "Thirteen vessels of darkness for the thirteen pieces of darkness from the X-Blade." Lea explained to them. "He intends to make thirteen copies of himself with darkness in their hearts for this."

Chase spat out his tea and coughed. "Told you I wasn't going to like it."

"Since his first plan failed, he's been gathering multiple versions of himself throughout time and put a fragment of his heart in them... even going after other people to hijack their hearts..." Lea spoke as he looked down with a frown.

"Talk about a split personality." Jason muttered.

"Is this guy insane?!" Dylan asked. "Splitting his heart into thirteen pieces?"

"He wants the power of Kingdom Hearts to shape the universe in his way with darkness, so yes. He's an old nutjob" Lea said.

Anne frowned at this. "Well, we can't just waste time. We gotta stop him." she said, setting her cup down. "Ah, one problem: you all are inexperienced." Yuffie pointed out. "So, if you tried to fight an Organization member at your current state, you'd be annihilated."

"Then we'll just train more as we go." Jason retorted.

"You think you can just get out there and fight them?" Lea asked. "You have no idea what you're up against."

Jason crossed his arms. "So, what are we supposed to do? Sit around here drinking tea?"

"We'll be helping you train until Sora arrives." Merlin told him. "Well, when's he supposed to get here?" Chase asked.

Merlin smiled softly. "Soon, my boy. Soon..."

* * *

On a distant world, it was rather peaceful. That is, until a teenage boy with spiky brown hair that had sky blue eyes wearing a blue, red, and black outfit with yellow belts ran down a path with two odd looking creatures at his side. One was what looked to be a light blue and white cat that made barking noises. The other was a yellow large cat-like creature reminiscent of a sabretooth tiger with blue spikes on the back of its legs, black and purple markings, blue claws, and a plated green tail that swished back and forth behind it. The one thing these creatures had in common was that they both had an odd symbol on their chests.

Sixteen and a half year old Sora smiled at them as they came to a halt. "That was a great training session, Meow Wow! You too, Keeba Tiger!" he praised.

Meow Wow barked happily in response and Keeba Tiger simply purred and nuzzled Sora's arm. Sora smiled and scratched it behind the ear.

Sora had been training long and hard ever since he failed the Mark of Mastery exam several weeks ago. Thankfully, he wasn't alone, as he had his Dream Eater friends by his side the whole time.

"Whaddya say we take a break, guys?" Sora asked the two critters.

Meow Wow barked in reply while Keeba Tiger let out a soft roar as the trio headed to a grassy area by a hill to relax. As Sora sat down, he noticed that his clothes seemed to look rather rugged now with a few tears here and there. "Hm, guess my clothes couldn't keep up with my training." he said to himself. He made a mental note of getting some new clothes later.

Just then, Meow Wow looked up at the sky and barked. Sora rose an eyebrow. "What is it, buddy?" he asked. He then heard what sounded like whistling. He looked up just in time to see a glass bottle fall from the sky land on the ground, bouncing a bit before rolling to a stop at his side. His eyes widened seeing a letter with a seal in it. Quickly, the Keyblade wielder took the letter out and began to read it.

 _'Sora, this is Merlin. I fear I have terrible news. Most recently, the Heartless have appeared again and attacked a couple of worlds, plunging them into darkness. However, some residents of those worlds have landed here in Radiant Garden. Shockingly, three of them have been revealed to have the ability to wield Keyblades. Please, gather your friends and speak with Master Yen Sid. He can fill you in on more details. When you're done, please come to Radiant Garden, because these five will need your help. Please hurry._

 _-Merlin.'_

Sora's eyes widened once he finished reading the letter. _'The Heartless have returned?! Then... Xehanort is behind this!'_ he thought as he stood up. He had to tell Donald, Goofy, and Riku!

Meow Wow's whine pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked down, seeing it pawing at his leg. Sora's eyes softened and he knelt down. "I have to go help my other friends now, guys..." he told his two Dream Eaters as he scratched Meow Wow behind the ear and patted Keeba Tiger on the back softly. "But I promise we'll see each other again. Okay, guys?"

Meow Wow licked his face in response while Keeba Tiger nuzzled him. Sora laughed at this and hugged them. "Thanks, you guys. I'll miss you, too."

With that, the two Dream Eaters vanished, leaving Sora alone. The brown haired teen sighed before he stood up, looking up at the sky as a Keyhole appeared in it. "Looks like my training is over." he said to himself. Knowing what to do, Sora summoned Kingdom Key and aimed it at the Keyhole. A beam of light shot from the tip of his Keyblade and entered the Keyhole, opening the portal. "I'm coming, guys." he smiled softly before he was surrounded by light and pulled into the portal, leaving the world and ready to help.


	6. Reunion

**Thank you so much, DinoWriter23, for helping me with this chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

At the Mysterious Tower, Yen Sid watched from his window as seventeen year old Riku ducked from a swing from sixteen year old Kairi. "Very good, Kairi. Your swings are getting much quicker." Riku praised, making the redhead smile modestly. "You're the Master here, Riku."

Over these past few weeks, Yen Sid and Riku had been training Kairi to learn how to use her Keyblade. For the training, Kairi had switched from her one piece pink dress and white shirt for a dark pink jacket with a few zippers on the front with buckles on the shoulders over a white shirt with black shorts and red knee high boots. She still had the bag buckled to her belt at the side, and of course, kept her signature pendant. She had an extra bag strapped to her belt carrying some potions and elixirs in case her magic was recharging.

Riku's outfit basically stayed the same. He lowered his Keyblade to his side. "Alright, Kairi. Let's take a break." he told her. Kairi nodded as she dismissed her flowery Keyblade while they headed to the steps to relax.

Kairi stared up at the sky. "Riku... how do you think Sora's doing with his training out there?" she asked. Riku looked up at the sky with her. "Well... knowing him, I'm sure he's doing alright." he assured her. Kairi nodded, but she couldn't help but worry for Sora. Ever since she was told that Xehanort had returned, her worry had increased. She had to keep training in order to help stop Xehanort from completing the X-Blade. She wouldn't be on the sidelines this time!

"Sora is a capable warrior." they suddenly heard Yen Sid say from behind them, surprising them a bit. "Oh! Master Yen Sid." Kairi greeted. "You startled us."

"Sorry, but I overheard your conversation." Yen Sid told them. Riku looked up at the sky. "Xehanort's still out there gathering his thirteen copies of himself." he said grimly before he narrowed his eyes with determination. "We are not gonna let him win."

Kairi nodded. "I won't let him hurt you, Sora, or anyone else." she told him. "I'm ready to fight this time."

Riku smiled a bit at that. "You sound like Sora." he commented, making her blush a bit. "R-Really?" she chuckled, wondering what Sora would have thought of that.

Yen Sid then looked up at the sky, looking at the spots vacant of the stars that were once lit earlier. "Have you two noticed...? A star has gone out." he told them, surprising the two. The two teenagers looked up at the sky and noticed indeed that a star was missing. Yen Sid frowned. "A world has been consumed by darkness." he told them grimly.

Riku and Kairi's eyes widened. "Those poor people." Kairi whispered with sadness in her voice. Riku frowned sadly, remembering when Destiny Islands once was consumed by darkness as well. "Do you think... anyone made it out of there?" Kairi asked them. "I have received a message from Merlin saying that there are people who escaped in time." Yen Sid told them. "They are currently at Radiant Garden. But I'll explain more when Sora returns."

Kairi's eyes widened. "Sora's coming back?!" she gasped. Riku's eyes widened. They were going to see Sora again!

The old sorcerer nodded. "The time may be at hand for the seven of light to gather." Master Yen Sid answered her. It was then that Kairi noticed something open up in the sky: a Keyhole! She gasped and cried out, "Look!"

The three looked up at the Keyhole as a beam of light shot out of it and onto the ground nearby. When the light had died down, they could see a very familiar figure standing there. It was Sora! He had returned! His clothes looked slightly torn, but he seemed to be alright. The teenager gave a grin. "Heya!" he greeted.

"Sora!" Riku and Kairi exclaimed happily as they ran to their friend. Yen Sid smiled and merely stood on the steps as Kairi nearly tackled Sora in a hug. Sora was surprised to see her at the Mysterious Tower, but he gladly hugged her back. "Kairi, what're you doing here? I thought you were staying back home?" he asked her as they broke the hug. Kairi smiled and told him, "Riku brought me here so he and Master Yen Sid could teach me how to use my Keyblade."

"She's doing really well." Riku told him. Sora grinned widely as he and Riku fist bumped. "Hey, how's the Keyblade Master doing?" he asked his best friend. Riku smiled. "Sora, you don't need to call me that." he told him.

"Well, you ARE one, MASTER Riku." Sora teased with a silly grin. Riku rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Great to have you back, Sora."

Yen Sid approached them. "Sora, welcome back." he greeted.

Sora's eyes widened. "Master Yen Sid!" he gasped before digging in his pockets and pulling out Merlin's note. "Merlin sent me this-"

"I know. I've been expecting you. All three of you, please follow me." Yen Sid requested as he headed back inside. Sora, Riku, and Kairi followed him up the many, MANY stairs that led up to his office. Once they had reached the top, Yen Sid opened the door and allowed them in first before shutting the door behind him. Sora froze in mid step seeing Donald Duck and Goofy in the room. "Donald! Goofy!" he exclaimed happily as he ran to hug them. "Sora!" the mage and the captain cried out as they hugged him back. The trio laughed, happy to see each other again. Kairi and Riku watched from the side with smiles at the reunion. "Gawrsh, Sora! You've gone and grown taller again!" Goofy remarked as he looked up at Sora. Sure enough, Sora was now taller than Goofy.

Sora scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Really? I haven't noticed."

Donald broke the hug and crossed his arms, seeing Sora's torn clothing. "Have you been getting into trouble again?" he joked. "Trouble? Me?" Sora jokingly asked with a smile. "You must have been trainin' pretty hard." Goofy remarked. Sora sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I guess you could say that." he chuckled.

Yen Sid sat in his chair and cleared his throat, gaining their attention. "Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy. We have much to discuss." he told them. The five stood in front of the desk ready for him to begin. "As you know already, Xehanort has been creating his thirteen Seekers of Darkness, and already the worlds are feeling his darkness." Master Yen Sid reminded them. "Even now the Heartless move upon the worlds wrecking havoc as they have before. As you may know from the note Merlin had sent you, Sora, some residents of the worlds plunged into darkness have landed in Radiant Garden, and three of these individuals have the ability to wield Keyblades." he added, shocking Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy.

"More Keyblade wielders?" Riku asked with shock.

Yen Sid nodded. "I do not believe this is coincidence. Two of these individuals do not have Keyblades, but one has been granted the power of speed and one has been granted a sword that can send lightning at his will."

"Awesome!" Sora grinned.

"However, they do not have the experience you all have. You will need to help them learn on the journey that will soon take place." Yen Sid added.

"Of course." Kairi nodded. "We'll do what we can to help them."

Yen Sid nodded. "You must be there for them. Although some may not cooperate at first, you must be patient if you wish to help them learn."

"Let me guess: one of them's a hothead." Riku assumed.

"Merlin described him as an individual who had a hard time with magic on the first try and acting a bit tough." Yen Sid told him. "Like I said, you must be patient with them. They are still trying to grasp what has happened to them and their homes."

Riku nodded. "We will, Master Yen Sid."

"There is no need to call me that anymore, Riku. You are a Keyblade Master yourself, now. Now, all of you must be prepared, for this journey may be difficult at certain times." Yen Sid began. "It may be twice as difficult as your last journey."

Kairi nodded. "As long as we're together, we can do anything."

"Beware, for Xehanort and his Organization are sure to attack you on your journey to try and stop you." Yen Sid said grimly.

"We can take 'em!" Sora declared with confidence. He wasn't going to let the Organization stop them! Not ever!

"Sora, do not forget that now that Xehanort has returned, he is much stronger. Remember, he tried to make you a vessel." Yen Sid reminded. "You're very lucky Lea, Riku, and Mickey were there to save you."

"You'd be Xehanort Jr. if we didn't save you." Donald said, glad that they made it in time. "Thanks so much, guys." Sora smiled. "Besides, I don't look good with Xehanort's silver hair color." he joked. That earned a laugh from most of them. Yen Sid cracked a smile. "Now, before anything else... Sora, your clothing appears to be unsuitable for travel anymore." he noted. Sora looked at his clothes, seeing the damage. The teenager smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Hehe... I guess it isn't..."

"Flora. Fauna. Merryweather." Yen Sid called. A few seconds later, the three Good Fairies appeared drinking tea. "Yes, Yen Sid?" Flora asked. Donald and Goofy started laughing. Kairi looked at them and rose an eyebrow. "What's so funny?" she asked. "You'll see..." Donald just snickered.

"Sora is in need of some new clothing." Yen Sid told the three fairies.

"Oh, dear. Again?" Fauna asked as the three brought Sora over to them. "Please, _please_ don't argue like last time." Sora begged. "Us? Argue?" Flora asked as if they never did argue before. Sora just paled as they led him over to a spot in the room and examined his clothing. "Oh dear... look at these tears!" Merryweather tsked as she tugged on his jacket. "Well, I have been doing a lot of training." Sora explained. Fauna got her wand ready and waved it in the air. "I'll do the designing." she volunteered.

Sora's clothes became green. _'Oh boy...'_ he thought with dread. "No! No! No!" Merryweather shook her head as she waved her wand and Sora's clothes changed to a blue color. "No, pink would be better!" Flora disagreed as she waved her wand. Sora's damaged clothing became pink. Kairi covered her mouth to try and not giggle. Even Riku smirked in amusement. Donald and Goofy just laughed as the three fairies kept arguing over what color his clothes should be. Yen Sid merely cracked a smile and shook his head with amusement.

Finally, Sora got fed up. "Could you please not argue and make up your minds?" Sora pleaded. The fairies were surprised, but exchanged a look. "We're sorry. Alright girls. All together now." Flora said with a nod. "No more squabbling. Just like the last time. One... two... three." Flora counted down as they waved their wands and pointed them at Sora. He was engulfed in a bright light.

When the light faded, Sora's outfit was new and improved. It was noticibly sleeker in design. He was now wearing a black overjacket with gray pockets that had a gray stripe on each sleeve. The hood, sleeves, and jacket now had a red lining on them. On the front were six yellow buttons. Underneath the jacket, he now wore a black V-neck shirt with white lining. His gloves now ended at his elbows and were shaped more like gauntlets with the same design as his outfit. On the back of his gloves were gray circles as well as a yellow strap around each of his gauntlets. His palms were visible now as well.

His shorts were roughly the same length as his previous outfit, but lost its baggy look and now had armored sidings that were attached by red straps that wrapped around his legs like his previous outfit held the red bags he used to carry around. Replacing the red bags were gray pockets. His shoes were noticibly smaller this time, but still black and yellow. But the blue straps were missing, instead being replaced by black straps. Of course, he still had his signature crown necklace.

Kairi's eyes widened at the outfit. "Whoa..." she whispered. Sora's eyes widened as he looked down at himself. "Wow, Sora!" Goofy gasped.

"I like it." Kairi smiled. Sora smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, ladies." he told the three Good Fairies.

"No problem, dearie." Merryweather said. "Does this one have any special abilities like the last one?" Goofy asked curiously. "Certainly! As with the last one, he will still be able to use those drive forms that he had last time, but we added a bit more into this one. Now, when you fight, you can summon certain things to help, such as this! Touch the orb, dear." Fauna said as she conjured up an orb. Sora did as she said and as soon as he touched it... a massive teacup appeared. "Um... no offense, but... How's a giant teacup going to help?" Riku asked them. "Watch." Flora simply said as she waved her wand and a log appeared. "Sora, get in the teacup and spin it."

Sora blinked, but complied and got in it, spinning the table in it to make him spin around. The cup began to spin rapidly and hit the log, destroying it. "Whoa!" Riku's eyes widened with surprise.

"When you summon things like these, they can help you against enemies." Fauna smiled. Goofy remarked, "That sure looks fun."

The teacup disappeared and Sora landed on his rear end. "Oof! Ouch..." he groaned before standing up. Kairi giggled at the display. "Thank you." Sora told the fairies.

"Certainly, dear. Be careful." Merryweather advised before the three went into their room. Yen Sid cleared his throat to regain their attention. "Now, you'll need some transportation in order to meet your new allies." he said as he gestured out the window. A Gummi Ship was awaiting them outside!

"Ooh!" Sora grinned. "The Gummi!"

It's been so long since he rode in a Gummi Ship!

"No, Sora. You can't fly it first." Donald said, knowing what he was thinking. "Come on!" Sora pleaded, hoping it would work, but it didn't. "Last time I let you fly, you crashed it." Donald reminded him.

"Donald...!" Sora whined.

"This Gummi Ship is designed to carry more than three people, so you and the individuals will be comfortable." Yen Sid told them, ignoring the banter.

Kairi nodded. "Thank you, Master."

"Go, Sora... Riku... Kairi... Donald... Goofy... the worlds depend on you and the individuals you will soon meet." Yen Sid nodded. Sora, Donald, and Goofy gave a salute.

"We're on our way!" Donald declared. With that, they headed outside to board the Gummi Ship. "Just like old times, am I right?" Sora grinned. Goofy laughed. "Yeah! The gang's back together again!" he smiled. Riku smirked and sat down. "Shall we be off, everyone?" the silver haired teen asked.

"To Radiant Garden!" Sora exclaimed as he pointed forward dramatically. Donald rolled his eyes and started the engines, causing the Gummi Ship to lift off the ground. Moments later, it blasted off, leaving the world. Yen Sid watched the ordeal from his window. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.

"Perhaps these new warriors are they key to recovering the lost ones." He said to himself.

* * *

 _"Despite the lies that you're making, your love is mine for the taking..."_ The lyrics blasted through Anne's headphones as she walked through the town of Radiant Garden with her hands shoved in her pockets. She was trying to get used to all of this, but was having some difficulty.

These people acted like magic was common here. Some people still used swords, as well as guns, sometimes even a combination of the two!

How could these people act like it was something that happened every day? It was crazy, like something from a movie or television!

Anne passed by several people who were going about their daily lives in the marketplace. She was confused by some of the wares the residents were buying and selling. The teenager stopped by a stand and took her headphones off to examine some of the items. These items were enough to tell her she was on another world. There were plants she didn't recognize, odd concoctions, and one person even had a really odd animal in a cage.

"Excuse me? What is this?" she asked the merchant as she held up an item that had an orange liquid inside of it. The merchant looked at her once he put a box down. "This?" he asked. Anne nodded, hoping she'd find out more about the items here.

"That is an elixir." the merchant explained. The teenage girl rose an eyebrow. "What does it do? Is it just a drink?"

The merchant chuckled. "Just a drink? It's more than that, kid. It's an item that helps restore all your health and magic if you run out of it during battle." the merchant told her.

Anne's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked incredulously. "Yeah. Wanna buy one?" the merchant inquired.

Anne paled. "Uh... sorry, I'm new here... I don't have any of the munny you guys use..." she explained.

"Ah, you must be one of the new guys Merlin's been talking about. You know what? This time, it's for free." the merchant shrugged. "But next time, you'll need munny if you want anything else."

The teen's eyes widened and she pocketed the elixir. "Thanks..." she thanked the merchant, who merely nodded and went back to work. Anne walked off, but paused as a Moogle floated past her carrying a small box. "Watch it, kupo!" it said as it sped past her. She rose an eyebrow as she watched it fly off.

Even some of the merchants here were odd...

Anne shook her head and walked down a road, shoving her hands back into her pockets as her headphones stayed around her neck. However, she ended up bumping into Jason as she rounded a corner. Anne's eyes widened. "Whoops... sorry bout that." Anne apologized. "You're Jason, right?"

He just frowned. "You mind? I'm trying to walk here." he told her a bit rudely. "Why don't you go talk to my cousin Clair?"

Anne shrugged. "I might." she said casually. "So... where are you from?"

Jason rose an eyebrow. "Why do you wanna know?"

She merely shrugged in reply. "We're teamates now, so maybe we should know each other better." she answered. Jason rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Come on." Anne goaded.

"... alright. Nekotan." Jason relented. Anne was confused by the name. "Nekotan?" she repeated. "It's a large city on Harthyn." Jason deadpanned.

"What's Harthyn?" Anne asked curiously.

"Clair's and my homeworld! Duh!" Jason retorted. "It has... or I guess, _had_ , a lotta technology there. I can barely find anything here that matches what we had there. What about your world?"

Anne blinked. "My world?" she repeated, surprised by the question. "Are you deaf, green eyes? Yeah, your world." Jason deadpanned.

"First of all, my name is ANNE. Not 'green eyes'." Anne muttered with annoyance. Jason merely shrugged. "Whatever." he muttered.

Anne crossed her arms. "I live... or I guess, _lived_ , in a town called Welton."

"And?" Jason asked, waiting for an answer. Anne shrugged. "It was home."

"What was it like?" Jason pressed. "Well, it had a lot of buildings, grassy areas, trees... I went to this high school called Welton High." she told her. Jason rose an eyebrow. "So primitive, then." he said.

Anne frowned, offended by his statement. "Hey! My home is NOT primative!"

"Yeah, it is." Jason retorted.

"Is not." Anne protested.

"Is too." Jason smirked.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

Anne growled. "What makes you think your world is so special that my world is 'primitive'?!" she demanded. Jason rolled his eyes. "Cause it is." he retorted.

"Jerk!" the teenage girl frowned. Jason merely shrugged. "I've been called worse." he stated. Anne crossed her arms. "Don't insult my world." she growled.

"What? It's true." Jason replied casually. "Does your world have technology?"

"Of course it did!" Anne answered as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "What kind?" Jason asked her as he crossed his arms. In response, Anne showed him her music player. "That all?" Jason asked her, a bit unimpressed. "It's what I had with me before the Heartless came. Back home, we had TVs, radios, dvd players, old VCRs people barely used, stereos, lamps, cameras, phones, portable music devices, computers, projectors..." Anne listed, trying to remember what other things they had.

Jason scoffed. "That stuff is used for toddlers!"

"What?! No way!" Anne frowned.

"You use kid stuff!" he smirked. Anne's left eye twitched with annoyance. He was _really_ starting to getting on her nerves now. "Hey, shut up!" Anne exclaimed.

"Oh, getting upset, are we?" Jason smirked. It was almost amusing to him. He just hoped Clair wouldn't find out, or else he'd be in for a scolding from her. "And what does your world have that's so special?" Anne asked with a frown. "Let's see..." he began. "Automated entrances that scan your DNA to keep unwanted visitors from entering. Food dispensers that match your specific diet needs. Robotanks, heavy laser cannons, AIs... You do know what an AI is, right?" he paused to ask her.

"Yeah, Artificial Intellegience. Duh." Anne answered.

"Used in computers, robots, androids, drones..."

"I get it!" Anne snapped, interrupting him. Jason rolled his eyes and continued to explain what else was on his and Clair's world. "Air vehicles, immunity to all known diseases, op suits..."

"Op suits?" Anne asked.

Jason looked at her. "Really cool armor used by the police and military forces." he explained.

"Hm." Anne muttered. "We had planes, cars, trucks, semi-trucks, RVs..."

"Old fashioned." Jason remarked. "Excuse us for not having the right tools to keep up with you!" Anne scoffed. Jason just gave her a smug look in reply. "You are WAY behind us." he smirked, just to tick her off.

Anne rolled her eyes and shoved him a bit. "Would you quit it?!"

Jason shook his head. "Nope. This is fun." he told her. That did it for her. "Alright, that's it!" Anne lunged at him. Jason then sidestepped her and grabbed her jacket. "Please." he scoffed. "I've seen people who fight WAY better than that!"

He then let go of her and she ended up falling on her face. The teenage girl growled in annoyance and tried to sweep at his legs, but he noticed and quickly moved away. Anne pushed herself up to her feet. "You're gonna get it now!" Anne told the boy as she lunged at him again. Jason just stopped her by grabbing her face. The teenager tried to swipe at him, but he held her back. Jason had an unimpressed expression as she tried this. Finally, Anne grabbed his arm and slowly forced it away. Jason yawned. "Come on, is that all?" he asked her. "No!" Anne replied as she threw a punch at him. Jason ducked before he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. Anne yelped a bit, but stomped on his foot. This surprised Jason enough to make him let go.

Anne whirled around and glared at him. Jason glared back as Anne tried to punch him again. However, Jason ducked again. Seeing that it wouldn't work, Anne tried again, but aimed at his stomach. She wasn't that good at fighting yet, so she just used a couple punches that she knew. This time, she managed to hit him. Jason doubled over, but he grabbed her arm. Anne's eyes widened before she was pinned to the ground with her arm behind her back and her face on the ground. "If I wasn't in a good mood, you'd be broken now." Jason told her.

"Doubt it." Anne growled. Jason pulled her arm again. "There's only one rule in fighting: win." he told her. Anne rolled her eyes. "Blah, blah, blah! You're like a less arrogant version of this guy I know." Anne gritted out.

"Who?" Jason rose an eyebrow.

"Josh Harrington."

"What's this 'Josh' character like?" Jason asked her.

"A bully. He acted like he owned everything, everyone was beneath him, and used people to get what he wants."

"Well, that's not me." Jason said. "If I want something, I fight for it! I don't use people!" Jason added.

"Well, that's good." Anne managed to get out. "At least you're not like him."

"What else is this Josh like?" Jason pressed on as he kept Anne pinned down. "Apart from the biggest jerk ever?" Anne asked sarcastically. "Let's see... he stole notes, made us screw up on some tests just because it amused him, lies to his father about what he does so he can bully more, acted like he was the king of the school and everyone else was beneath him, had his cronies do some of his dirty work, often chased down weaker kids to steal their things... the list goes on and on." Anne told him.

"And he hasn't been suspended once?" Jason rose an eyebrow. How could someone that bad not get in trouble?

"Nope."

Jason turned his head and spat. "I would've mopped the floor with him." he said. "I would LOVE to see that day." Anne commented. "That guy needs someone to show him that he isn't the king of everyone."

"That is if he somehow made it off your world, of course." Jason interrupted.

"Yeah. I actually hope one of those Heartless got him." Anne said, ignoring the fact that her face was going numb from being pressed against the gravel. Jason looked at her. "Just don't try to fight me again. I won't go easy on you a second time." he told her. Anne couldn't think of anything else to say, so she just stuck her tongue out at him immaturely. "Really?" Jason deadpanned, unimpressed.

"Would you please let me get up? My face is numb." Anne requested.

"Don't try this again." Jason let her up.

"Yeah, yeah." Anne muttered as she dusted gravel off her clothes. She checked her headphones to make sure they were alright. Thankfully, not a scratch.

Jason then snatched up her music player and looked through the songs. "Hm... interesting collection of songs you got here." he commented. Anne's eyes widened. "Give it back!" she told him as she reached for it, but Jason held it away as he looked at some of the songs. "Whoa, you like those type of songs?" he smirked.

Anne snatched it back and put it in her pocket quickly. "Hey, easy." Jason said.

"Stay out of my stuff." Anne frowned.

"Whatever." Jason replied.

"Jerk." Anne muttered as she walked away. Jason just shook his head and walked off. "Sheesh..." he muttered to himself.

* * *

Anne grumbled to herself as she walked away. As she made her way back to the main part of the town, she sat down on a ledge and looked off into the distance. She grabbed a rock and threw it off.

Why did Jason have to act like that? They were gonna have a tough time dealing with what they were about to if Jason kept acting like that!

She punched the ground, but immediately immediately regretted it and held her fist. "Ow!" she winced. After the pain in her hand died down, she reached into her bag and pulled out a picture. It was a photo of her, her father, and her mother with Boomer in Anne's arms. Boomer was licking her in the picture. Anne felt saddened at the sight of her family in the photo. They were all so happy...

She gently traced the photo with her fingers. She didn't know if any of them made it off their world in time... she didn't know if they were alive, dead, Heartless, or worse... she just prayed they were alright. Anne then reached into the bag and looked at the necklace her mother gave her before she left for school the day they were attacked. It was the only things she left that reminded her of her family now. The teenager looked at it sadly before putting the necklace back in her pocket.

She then heard footsteps behind her. She looked behind her and saw Clair walking over to her. "Hi." Clair greeted.

"Hey..." Anne muttered in reply.

"Mind if I sit here?" Clair requested, gesturing to the spot next to Anne. Anne shrugged before she let Clair sit beside her. Her fellow teenager looked at their surroundings. "This place is beautiful." she commented. "Yeah, I guess it is." Anne muttered.

"It's nice to see actually see the sky." Clair said.

Anne rose an eyebrow. "Whaddya mean?"

Clair sighed. "The buildings in Netokan are so tall most of them block out the sky and the view. Everywhere you look, it's buildings, buildings, and more buildings. You can usually get a good look at the sky there if you're on a tall building."

"Really? Back home, there are tons of grassy places. Not a lot of tall buildings, though." Anne told her. "Sounds lovely." Clair said, and it sounded like she meant it. She then noticed the picture in Anne's hands. "Are those your parents?" she asked. Anne nodded, confirming this. "Is that your dog?" Clair inquired. "Yeah. His name's Boomer." Anne replied. Clair smiled. "He's cute." she commented. Anne smiled softly. "I miss him already... you know, he always hated when I gave him baths." she remembered. Boomer was such a rascal at times. "One time, he ran and hid underneath the couch. When I found him hiding there, he just gave me this look that practically screamed, 'I don't wanna!'."

"Aww..." Clair chuckled before she pulled out something. It looked like a CD, except there was no hole in the center. It was around the size of a flash drive, but it was incredibly smooth. Clair placed her thumb in the middle of it and a variety of holographic screens appeared. She appeared to scroll through it before stopping at an image. There was Clair by a woman who looked like her, and a man who didn't. "That's my mom and dad." Clair explained. "Why does your dad look different? If you don't mind me asking?" Anne questioned.

"Hm? Oh, that's because he's not from the same lineage as my mother." Clair explained. "I got most of my traits from Mom."

"What's your mom's lineage?" Anne asked.

Clair smiled. "She's a Hocamli."

This earned her a blank look from Anne. "... what, now?" Anne asked. "The Hocamli were a tribe from my world." Clair explained. "They were fierce warriors and great healers."

"What else did the Hocalmi do?" Anne asked with interest. "Well, in the land which the Hocamli come from, which is now called Netokan, the old inhabitants were divided up into several tribes. The tribes warred with each other, but the Hocamli proved to be the strongest. Eventually settlers from Unfah came to settle Netokan. They were beaten back several times by the Hocamli."

"Unfah?" Anne rose an eyebrow. All of this sounded foreign to her.

"A country across the sea. However Unfah fell under attack from an enemy no one could defeat. Eventually the evil came to Netokan." Clair continued. "And the Hocalmi sent the enemy packing?" Anne guessed.

"They provided a great deal." Clair said. "Not only were they fierce in battle, but their language was virtually unknown to the enemy. As a reward they finally allowed the people to settle on their lands, but they had to observe the rules and laws of the Hocamli while the Hocamli drove off the deadly forces of..." Clair trailed off.

"Deadly forces of what?" Anne inquired. "I just remembered I never really learned the name of those forces. Everything just referred to them as The Enemy." Clair explained. "So, as I was saying, they drove away the deadly forces... And from that came the country that still lives today. They thrived for a long time during that period. Eventually the two cultures merged into the great city of Netokan."

"What else was Nekotan like?" Anne asked.

"Well, books are consided out of date there."

The brown haired teenager's eyes widened. "What?! How could books be out of date?! Books aren't out of date back at home!" Anne told her. Clair looked at her and rose an eyebrow. "Really?" she questioned. "Yeah! We have 'em for reading, collecting, studying..." Anne listed. "Amazing." Clair said with true surprise in her voice. "I have to search through antique shops to find books with pages. I love turning the pages instead of scrolling down the screen. It makes me feel part of the story in a way. But everything's on holo-screens now."

"Holo-screens? Those existed in sci-fi movies back home." Anne told her. "Really? Everyone uses them on Harthyn." Clair explained.

Anne shook her head. "Not at home..." Anne said, then remembered the conversation with Jason. "Say, Clair... what's with your cousin?" she asked. Clair rose an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I ran into him and when I tried to talk to him, he was being a major jerk. He was even calling my world primative when I told him about it just to get on my nerves!" Anne explained with a frown. Clair shook her head. "That's Jason. Just be glad he didn't hit you. You didn't fight him, did you?" she questioned.

"He was making me mad just cause he thought it was fun... so yeah, I tried to hit him." Anne admitted. "He kept insulting my world, calling it primative, old fashioned, and that what we used were for toddlers and said we used kid stuff."

Clair looked down. "Well... To us that would seem..." She thought about how to phrase it. "Old fashioned." Clair held her hands up in self-defense. "No offense. I personally like old fashioned." she added.

"That's good, cause Jason kept calling my home primative." Anne said. "He's always been like that." Clair told her. "I would partially blame his father for that." she added. "I don't really know why, but it has something to do with his dad. He always hated speaking about his father, but I've only heard little things from Jason about him."

Anne rose an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Something about demanding. And something about his father expecting so much." Clair replied. "As well as other things."

Anne shook her head. "Well, that must be one reason why he acts like that."

Unknown to them, Jason was listening to the two while hiding behind a building near them. He looked down with a frown.

"Because Dad wants me to _be_ him." he whispered quietly. "Who cares? I'll never be him. Never." he added to himself softly before he walked away from the site.


	7. Meetings of the Chosen

In a dark alley, Nash Parker slowly opened up his eyes. His head hurt. Everything pretty much hurt. He felt like he was hurled through several buildings then sent through the ground! He had a couple scratches and bruises from his escape from those odd creatures earlier, but no major injuries. Nash slowly sat up holding his head. "Oww... what happened?" he asked himself, but his eyes then widened seeing where he was.

"Where am I?!" he asked out loud as he stumbled up to his feet. The last thing he remembered after leaving Josh was being chased by that weird black yellow eyed creature before he tripped and fell into something that looked like a dark purple portal. Everything was black after that. He looked around frantically, but saw no one he knew. Not a single soul.

Nash could see the end of the alley nearby, so he cautiously approached it, but hid and stayed as silent as he could when he heard voices.

"...our plan is working. The Heartless are attacking the worlds once again." he heard a deep, evil sounding voice say. He could see a man wearing an ominous black coat with the hood up speaking to another hooded individual. "No doubt those wretched Keyblade wielders will try to stop us."

"I'd like to see them try." the other individual mused. "The Organization still needs to gather more vessels, though."

"Yes, we do. Our vessel was so close in reach, but those wretched Keyblade wielders intervened."

"However, word is that someone willingly gave into the darkness, but he doesn't appear to be interested in our goals."

"Then we'll keep an eye on him as we continue."

Nash's eyes widened. He didn't like the looks of those people, or the talk about vessels. He was starting to get even more freaked out. He wanted to get out of here, to a place that made sense! A place that didn't have those freaky little creatures that seemed to blend into the shadows! Slowly, he started to back away, praying those weirdos in the black coats wouldn't hear him. Back at school, he may have acted tough, but this wasn't school. This could turn into a serious situation if he didn't move now.

He turned on his heel, then noticed something at the dead end of the alley. A portal had appeared at the end of it! Nash's eyes widened seeing it. He looked over his shoulder, then back at the portal. This thing could take him away from this creepy place... but where would he end up after that? Would this take him to another freaky place? Or maybe a happy place?

Nash shook his head. He was going to take that chance. No way he was going to stick around here any longer! The teenager ran into the portal and as soon as he was in it, it closed up, leaving no traces of a portal ever being there before.

* * *

In Radiant Garden, Jason trudged through the town with his hands shoved in his pockets. The teen kicked a rock away as he trudged on. The conversation Clair and Anne had earlier popped into his head. Jason scowled at remembering. He didn't want to think about it. Not when Clair brought up his father. If only she knew more...

"But no one knows. Doubt they ever will." he muttered to himself out loud as he walked on. He didn't want to think about that man. He sighed and looked up at the sky. "What am I supposed to do?" he muttered out loud. However, he paused to think for a moment. Did his and Clair's friends make it off their world in time...? He hoped they did.

He then noticed Dylan trying to wake up Chase, who was sleeping in a hammock. "Hey, idiot! Get up!" Dylan tried. Chase only snored in response. Jason walked over to them. "What's going on?" he muttered. Dylan sighed and looked at him with an exasperated expression. "This dummy here is sleeping when he's supposed to be training for the thingie we're gonna be facing." he explained. Jason glanced at Chase before he tipped Chase out of the hammock, causing the teen to fall out of it and onto the ground.

"Zrrk.. WHAT THE?!" Chase exclaimed as he bolted upright.

Jason smirked. "You're welcome." he told Dylan as he crossed his arms. "Thanks. Never thought that'd work." Dylan chuckled. "Chase is hard to wake up at times."

"I can see." Jason smirked.

Chase groaned. "Great. Now you're going to be my alarm clock, aren't you?"

"Well, if you keep sleeping when you're supposed to be training, yes." Dylan retorted. Chase shook his head mumbling to himself. "Say, have you seen Anne anywhere?" Dylan asked Jason. Jason merely gestured behind him. "In town with Clair." he explained. "Ah, so they're doing girl stuff?" Chase asked, rubbing his head. Jason shrugged. "Well, I heard them talking about their worlds."

"What did Anne say?" Dylan asked her. "Well, from what I heard, your world is far less advanced than ours." Jason said offhandedly. "Define less advanced." Dylan frowned slightly.

"We have Robotanks, food dispensers, zappers, yadda-yadda-yadda." Jason said as if it was the most casual thing in the world. "Sweet." Chase commented. "It is." Jason nodded. At least he was taking it well, unlike that girl. "Yeah, you're ahead of us." Chase said.

"Your friend didn't sound happy about it." Jason told them. "Well, how did you talk to her?" Dylan frowned.

"She didn't take the fact that your world is basically primitive compared to ours well." Jason said.

"Did you rub it in?"

Jason shrugged casually. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."

Dylan glared at him. "She hates it if someone rubs it in." he told him. "Yeah, kind of figured that out." Jason deadpanned. "Look, you need to not get on other's nerves since we're a team now." Dylan scolded. "I don't play with others." Jason said. "I work alone."

"We need to work as a team, whether you like it or not." Dylan said.

"Yeah, yeah." Jason muttered, waving his hand dismissively. "So get off your high horse and work with us." Dylan added. "Well, your friend could work on her fighting skills. She fought me, and lost terribly." Jason told them before he sighed. "Guess I'll need to show her how."

"If you're gonna do that, you should be careful, since you practically insulted her." Chase warned. Jason laughed. "I can handle her."

"Well, don't insult her anymore." Dylan warned.

"I didn't insult her. I just told her that your guys's world is primitive compared to ours." Jason shrugged. Dylan gave him a look. "To us, that is insulting." he frowned. "Just stating the truth." Jason shrugged again. Dylan shook his head as Jason walked away to find the green haired brunette. However, she wasn't where he last saw her at that curb.

"Hm, where is that girl?" he wondered out loud as he began to search around Radiant Garden. He sighed. Did he really offend her that bad? She should learn...

No. That's what his Dad would say. He swore to himself he'd never, EVER do stuff or say stuff his father would say. As much as he didn't want to he'll apologize to her. He hated the thought of acting like his father. And his dad never apologized. He closed his eyes and shook his head, not wanting to think of his father anymore. However, he ended up running into a lamppost since his eyes were closed. "Ow!" he winced. He rubbed his face. "Who put that there?"

He kicked the lamppost with frustration. However, he kicked it too hard and winced as he held his foot. "Okay, don't close your eyes when walking in a town." he said to himself as he resumed walking. "Light drones work much better any day of the week."

He eventually noticed Anne by a bridge looking into the distance with her headphones over her ears. He could see her holding something in her hands as well. Jason slowly approached her. "Hello?"

She didn't answer. He could faintly hear music coming from her headphones. Jason sighed and tapped her on the shoulder. Anne turned around and took her headphones off. She frowned slightly, seeing who it was. "You here to insult my home more?"

"I came to... apologize." Jason said reluctantly. Anne blinked. "What?"

"I'm... sorry." he sighed. Anne was surprised. Jason was apologizing to her?

"Really?"

"Yeah." Jason nodded. "Well, don't do it again." Anne said.

Jason sighed. "I swear..." he muttered.

"Thank you..." Anne said as she began to put her headphones back on. Jason stopped her. "Uh, not yet."

She rose an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You need improvement of fighting." Jason told her. "You REALLY need improvement."

Anne rose an eyebrow. "And you're offering to teach me?" she questioned. "Yes. Just a little bit until whoever we're supposed to team up with gets here." Jason explained. The teenage girl crossed her arms. "Well, when do we start?" she asked.

Jason smirked. "Right now. Come at me." he challenged. Anne charged at him. Jason then side-stepped her. "You gotta think on your feet." he deadpanned. Anne nearly fell on his face. "Whoa!"

Jason grabbed her. "Your opponents will not always stand still. You will need to adjust to movement. Now, try seeing me as that Josh kid you were blabbering about earlier."

Anne did, imagining that Josh was in Jason's place sneering at her with that same arrogant smirk he had on his face all the time. Almost immediately, Anne slugged Jason hard with a growl. He was taken aback by the sudden move. "Whoa!" He then smirked. "Good. See if you can dodge a punch I throw at you."

He threw a punch and Anne barely avoided it, stumbling back. "Not bad." Jason commented with a shrug. "Try that again."

She did, but Jason dodged. She swung around and tried to punch him, but he grabbed her arm. "Hey, let go!" Anne exclaimed. "Look, when fighting, don't let your opponent get you." Jason told her. "Keep the fight in your favor."

"Now, try to hit my face." he goaded as he made a 'bring it' gesture. Anne swung her fist, but was tapped in the side by Jason. "Exposed your side." he smirked. Anne grumbled, growing frustrated as she tried to hit him again, but ended up losing her balance and fell over. "Whoa!"

Jason stared at the girl as she landed face first on the ground. If she didn't improve in her fighting, she'd be done for out there... whatever was out there...

The teenage girl groaned with frustration and pushed herself up. "I got you this time!" she exclaimed as she threw her fist forward, but Jason dodged with a side-step. Anne stumbled and crashed into a trash can. Garbage spill out, but thankfully Anne didn't land in it.

"Isn't it supposed to be illegal to litter?" Jason joked. Anne groaned. "Not funny!" she snapped as she pushed herself up. "I thought it was." Jason smirked. Anne frowned and charged at him, attempting to tackle the teenager. Jason failed to notice, so Anne managed to tackle him to the ground. "HA! How do ya like that?!" Anne said with triumph. Jason coughed and held his stomach. "Good." he said before he pushed her off. "That's enough for now."

"What? Come on, I was just getting started!" Anne protested. Jason rolled his eyes, not buying it as he pushed himself off. "Yeah, right." he muttered as they began to walk away. Anne grumbled to herself as they walked down the street together.

Jason kept his hands shoved in his pockets acting like Anne wasn't there as they walked throughout the town, eventually finding Clair on a bench alone reading a book that looked like it was absolutely captivating her in it. "Hey, Clair." Anne greeted. The teenager looked up from her book at them with a smile. "Hey, guys." she smiled. "Whatcha readin'?" Jason asked as he took his hands out of his pockets. It was absolutely normal for him to see Clair with a book. She loved reading those things.

"It's one of Merlin's spellbooks he's letting me read it to learn more. It's amazing!" Clair answered with a smile. "I've been learning so much."

"Oh really?" Jason asked. "Yes, one of the things I've learned is the Travelling Spell. I don't know when I'll need to use it, though." Clair explained. "I've also learned something called the Plasma Bolt. But... I've kinda lost control of it, earlier..."

Anne rose an eyebrow, then remembered that yesterday, some sort of energy ball hit her hard. And it came from Merlin's room...

"That was YOU?!" Anne asked with a frown. Clair had a sheepish expression. "Uh... sorry?" she told her before bolting off immediately, running away while hoping that Anne wouldn't get mad with her as Anne chased after the girl. Jason just watched with a dumbstruck expression.

"And those are my teammates..."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Sea of the Skies, the Gummi Ship sailed throughout outer space as Donald piloted it. However, Sora was hovering over his shoulder looking at the controls eagerly.

"Can I fly it now?" he questioned.

"No." Donald frowned.

"Now?"

"No way! The last time you flew the ship, you crashed it!"

"Pleeeeaaaase?"

Goofy, Kairi, and Riku merely sat in their seats as the two bickered. "There they go again." Riku sighed. Goofy chuckled. "Just like old times. I can't believe we're going to fight as a team again!"

"Yeah, it's been a while since we've done that, huh?" Riku smiled. Kairi smirked. "And this time, I'm not gonna let you guys have all the fun." she declared. "I'll fight standing by your guys' side this time."

Riku smiled and was about to tell her something when the monitor began to beep. Sora and Donald's bickering ceased almost immediately and they all glanced at the navigation monitor as it showed them a world. Sora's expression immediately brightened as he recognized which world it was. "We're there, guys! Next stop, Radiant Garden!"

* * *

Clair sighed as she drank some water to regain energy after that chase. Anne was rather ticked at her from the Plasma Bolt to chase her around town like that. Now Clair had to make sure she didn't use it around Anne.

She glanced aside and watched as Yuffie and Lea were training Anne and Jason, who had their Keyblades drawn. The two were having a tough time against the more experienced fighters. "Come on, is that all?" Yuffie goaded.

"You need to watch your back! Got it memorized?" Lea asked. Jason groaned. "Yeah, yeah, we get it! Can we take a break, now?"

"Sure thing, kid. Then we'll get right back to training."

Anne sighed and sat down near Chase and Dylan as Jason sat next to his cousin. "Why aren't you training?" he questioned. "That chase wore me out earlier, so I'm resting real quick." she explained. "And you somehow always find the time to read a book." Jason deadpanned, shaking his head.

Clair rolled her eyes at her cousin's attitude, but her expression softened as she glanced down. "Jason... do you think that... Phil, Stella, AJ, Ashley, Aurora, and Nettie made it out in time?" she asked her cousin softly. Jason didn't know how to answer that... the last time they saw their friends was before he and Clair were sucked into that portal...

"I... I don't know, cuz." he replied truthfully with a sigh. He just hoped that the Heartless didn't get them. Clair really looked up to Stella, and Phil was a great friend, as well as the others. There were no other people like them. Clair admired Stella, since she was a good student. Jason usually fought with Aurora ever since they were young, although no one really knew why. Phil and Jason were good friends back home, and Phil had a love for video games. He carried a system with him everywhere. Ashley was considered to be the next 'miss popular', but she often slept in class. AJ was known as the school charmer and was known to have flirted with many of the girls in school. Nettie was known for sneaking her pet ferret known as Mabul into school without the teachers knowing, but only her friends.

All they could do right now was hope for their safety.

Just then, they were pulled out of their thoughts when Aerith ran to the group with a panicked expression. "E-Everyone, there's Heartless in the northern region of town!" she panted. The group's eyes widened and Anne jumped up to her feet. "Come on, guys!"

Yuffie, Anne, Jason, Lea, Chase, Clair, and Dylan then ran towards the direction Aerith told them of, ready to fight.

* * *

However, as the group ran off, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy had arrived on the other side of town. Sora had a big grin as he looked around. "It's so good to be back again!" he declared with a grin.

"Hmm, I wonder how Leon and the others are doin' here?" Goofy wondered out loud. "And Lea." Donald added as he walked side by side with the Captain of the King's Guard. "You think he might still be here?"

"Maybe." Riku nodded. "He did leave for here to train some more with his Keyblade."

However, as the boys were caught up in their conversation, Kairi glanced around at her surroundings with a slight look of confusion etched on her face. She knew she was here before during the Ansem attack, but... why did she feel like this place seemed so... familiar? As if she had been there even before being brought to Hollow Bastion by Maleficent and a possessed Riku? And why did the name of Radiant Garden make her feel as if she knew that name before?

Sora looked back at his friend and rose an eyebrow. "Hm? Kairi, you okay?" he questioned. Kairi snapped out of it and looked back at them. "Hm? Oh, yeah." she nodded. "Just thinking, that's all."

Just then, rapid footsteps could be heard, as well as panting. They whirled around to find Leon running towards them with a surprised expression as he had his gunblade in hand. "Sora, Donald, Goofy! You guys finally came!" he told them. "Leon!" Sora smiled. "It's so good to see you again!" However, the smile quickly fell as he saw Leon's expression. "What's wrong?"

"Heartless, that's what. They're attacking again! I had to make sure civilians made it safely into their homes while fighting off those things." Leon explained. "We need your guys' help."

"Heartless!" Donald and Goofy gasped in unison. "I see, so the Heartless are still on the attack." Riku frowned. Sora summoned Kingdom Key. "We'll help you, Leon!" he declared to his friend. Leon nodded gratefully as Riku summoned Way to Dawn and Kairi summoned her Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace. "Thanks, now let's go!" Leon told them before he took off running. The five followed shortly as Donald got his staff out and Goofy had his shield at the ready.

Nearly immediately as they rounded a corner, four Shadows, three Soldiers, and two Air Soldiers materialized. "Oh, great. Looks like we have our own welcoming committee." Riku sighed with sarcasm as they readied their weapons. "Hope you're ready for this, Kairi."

Kairi swallowed with a nod as she held Destiny's Embrace. "I am."

"Bring it on!" Sora yelled as they charged forward. Riku acted first and sliced through a Shadow, making it fade into darkness as Kairi took on another Shadow. "Come on!" she challenged. The Shadow slithered at her, but she reacted quickly thanks to her training and sliced through it, causing it to join its fellow Heartless that faded first. "Nice one, Kairi!" Goofy praised before he blocked an attack from an Air Soldier with his shield. "Thunder!" Donald screamed as he casted the spell, dealing damage to the Heartless there.

"Come on!" Sora yelled as he charged forward. Remembering the skills he learned during his Mark of Mastery exam, Sora jumped towards the wall, but then used Flowmotion to propel himself towards a Soldier quicker. The move surprised Kairi, but Riku smirked. "Good idea, Sora!" he called. His friend then slashed at the weakened Soldier, destroying it as the heart floated up into the air. The second Air Soldier swooped down at him ready to attack, but Sora reacted quickly and slashed through it as well. Leon used his gunblade and stabbed a Shadow, taking it out. Kairi finished off the last Shadow while Riku charged at the two Soldiers with his Keyblade raised.

"Fire!" he yelled, shooting the fireball from his Keyblade and hitting one of the weakened soldiers, defeating it. Goofy slammed his shield down onto the other Soldier, crushing it and allowing Kairi to finish it off, thus leaving only the Air Soldier remaining.

Sora jumped up in the air gripping his Keyblade with both hands and slashed down on it, making it fall to the ground and fade to darkness as the heart it contained floated up into the air. "That takes care of that." Sora said to himself.

"Well, there's still more to come!" Leon told him. "The individuals Merlin spoke about in his letter are here and they're most likely in battle right now. We need to help them."

Sora's eyes widened before he quickly nodded. "Right!" he remembered. He wondered what these people were like. Were some of them like him?

"Let's go!" Donald yelled as he took off running before them. "What the- Donald! Wait up!" Sora called as he and the other four chased after the mage through the streets.

* * *

Meanwhile, Anne, Chase, Dylan, Lea, Jason, Clair, and Yuffie were running throughout the paths of Radiant Garden near the Borough when they skidded to a halt as several Heartless appeared around them. Among them were Soldiers, Shadows, oddly colored floating Heartless, such as red and blue, and one that had a dark blue and brown body with goggles on and wings on its back.

"Oh, great." Jason muttered. "Whoa, look at that one!" Chase said as he pointed at a Heartless that was rather large in size. It appeared to be a bigger, fatter version of a Soldier with yellow straps holding its 'vest' closed across its stomach. It had gauntlets attached to its wrists, as well as large feet. "How do you think that fatty can fight when its got a weight problem?" Jason joked.

"I was just about to say that." Chase smirked.

"That's called a Large Body. Name suits it, I know, but watch out for when it charges." Yuffie advised.

"What? Is it gonna slam its butt onto us?" Chase joked.

"Guys, focus!" Dylan scolded as he readied his sword. "Whatever." Jason muttered as he held his Keyblade in his hand.

Lea then charged forward and slashed through a Shadow before moving on to a Soldier, who twitched and jumped erratically as it tried to attack. Chase used his speed to avoid attacks from the Heartless as he tried to find a way to fight them. He then got an idea and kicked a Shadow towards Dylan, who promptly slashed through it with his sword.

Anne rushed at the Large Body and slammed her Keyblade down onto its gut, but much to her shock, it hit some sort of invisible force and she stumbled backwards. "What the?!" she gasped. "The front is protected, so you need to get behind it to attack! Got it memorized?" Lea called to the teenager while he held off an attack from an Air Soldier. Anne quickly moved out of the way as the Large Body threw its fist at her, allowing her to get behind it and she used this opportunity to attack it. With a few slashes, she jumped away, surprised that it didn't fall yet. _'I guess some sorts of Heartless don't fall as easily as those Shadows...'_ she thought to herself.

Jason yelled as he attacked the Heartless flying in the air, managing to land a hit on it before jumping aside as it swooped down at him. "Missed me!" he taunted. However, he nearly got hit by what appeared to be ice. "Whoa!" he gasped before he glanced at Clair. His cousin shook her head. "It wasn't me! It was that!" She pointed at one of the Heartless, which had a blue body with the black and red heart symbol on the front. Jason noticed that it appeared to be wearing a bright yellow hat. "Watch out for those! They're Blue Rhapsodies, and they can shoot Blizzard attacks to freeze you in place!" Yuffie warned as she slashed through a Shadow with her shuriken.

Clair slashed at a Soldier that was unfortunately too close to her, ending up falling quickly. She then remembered one of the spells that Merlin taught them and exclaimed, "Gather!"

An orb appeared in the air and several Shadows, as well as a few Soldiers, were sucked into it floating around and immobilizing them. This allowed Anne and Jason to deal some good damage and take at least three Shadows down. "Nice thinking, Clair!" Anne told her. Lea summoned a few fireballs before chucking them at the flying Heartless, finishing it off for Jason. Clair noticed the Large Body getting ready to charge at her, so she reacted quickly and moved behind it, pointing her Keyblade at it and exclaiming, "Blizzard!"

The spell hit the large Heartless, freezing it in place and allowing Clair to attack its back three times, making it vanish back into darkness as the heart was released and floated into the air.

Chase then noticed that a red floating Heartless was about to send a fireball at her, so he reacted quickly and sped towards her. "Look out!" he exclaimed as he pushed her out of the way, taking the hit himself. "YEOW!"

"Chase!" Dylan and Anne gasped. Clair's eyes widened at what Chase did. Chase winced, but pushed himself up. "I'm good, guys. Focus on those creeps!"

Anne glared at the Heartless that attacked Chase and aimed her Keyblade at it. "Fire!" she yelled, sending a fireball at it, but much to her shock, all it did was absorb it! "Uh, kid, Red Nocturnes use Fire attacks and are immune to Fire. Try something else!" Lea called. "Why didn't you tell me that before?!" Anne exclaimed.

"Because I was busy fighting one, duh!"

Anne groaned, but snapped out of it as she barely avoided a Fire attack from the Red Nocturne. She winced as she felt the heat of it hit her arm. "OW!"

Jason slammed his Keyblade into the Red Nocturne with three hard swings, destroying it. Dylan used the lightning from his sword to electrocute several Shadows and Soldiers. However, more Heartless appeared to keep popping up by the minute. "Looks like these things really wanna take us down." Jason frowned as the group slowly backed up. He tried to see an opening where he could attack, but those stupid Heartless kept twitching and jumping about, not holding still long enough. "What do we do?!" Dylan asked.

"I say we take 'em on!" Yuffie exclaimed. "Not a good choice when they're clustered together." Lea shook his head, trying to see a way out. They braced themselves as a Heartless was about to attack them, but a male voice exclaimed, "No, you don't!"

They looked up just in time to see a teenage boy with spiky brown hair in red, gray, and black clothing descending and bringing a Keyblade down on the Heartless, effectively destroying it. Anne, Clair, Chase, Dylan, and Jason's eyes widened in surprise. Who was this boy?

However, Yuffie and Lea immediately recognized the boy. "Sora!" they exclaimed in unison. The others in the group were shocked. This was the Sora they've been told so much about?

Sora smiled at the two. "Heya, guys. You missed me?" he joked, not noticing the group behind his two friends.

"Don't forget about us!" a voice called, revealing it was a teenager with short silver hair as he, a duck in a blue outfit, a humanoid looking dog wearing a green sweater, a black vest, and brown pants with goggles and a hat, Leon, and a teenage girl with dark red hair caught up to Sora. "You coulda waited for us!" Donald complained. Jason, Anne, Clair, Chase, and Dylan were shocked at the sight of Donald and Goofy. "A talking duck?!" Chase exclaimed loudly, his attention leaving the Heartless. Clair's jaw was dropped while Jason smacked himself to see if this was real. Much to his shock, it was. "Of course I can talk!" Donald frowned as he looked up at the teen.

"Who are you guys?" Sora asked the group, ignoring Donald's antics. His eyes widened seeing the Keyblades in Anne, Clair, and Jason's hands. Were they the ones Merlin and Yen Sid had mentioned?! "We'll ask questions later. Right now, we need to take the Heartless out." Riku interrupted as he readied his Keyblade. "Right!" Sora nodded before they charged forward. Donald used Blizzard to freeze three Shadows in place, allowing Kairi to slice through them.

Riku charged at a Soldier as it tried to attack him, but its claw missed and it ended up paying for it as Riku sliced through it, making it fade back into darkness and releasing the heart. Jason was trying to hold off a Red Nocturne and a Blue Rhapsody. "Eat this!" he exclaimed as he pointed his Keyblade at the Blue Rhapsody. "Fire!"

However, only a small fireball came out of it before flickering away. "OH, COME ON!" Jason groaned loudly with frustration. Why'd it have to do that now?! Great, now he'd need to work more on his magic! He jumped back as a Red Nocturne fired a fireball at him. Quickly, he swung his Keyblade up and managed to hit it, taking it down and releasing the heart it had contained. "HA! Beat that!"

Anne backed away from a pair of Soldiers as they closed in on her. She gripped her Keyblade tightly before swinging it, destroying one of the Soldiers, but missing the other. The Soldier lunged at her, but Anne blocked the attack with her Keyblade, knocking it backwards. This allowed Clair to get a clear hit as she brought her Keyblade down on it, vanquishing the Heartless. "Look out!" Sora called as he leapt at them and attacked a Soldier that was about to attack them from behind. He quickly slashed at it with his gold and silver Keyblade, destroying it and saving them.

Dylan readied his lightning-sword and shouted, "Thunder!", casting the spell and hitting a few Heartless within range and dealing damage. He turned around and slashed at a Shadow that leapt at him. "Not today!"

Leon and Yuffie were standing back to back as they slashed at the Heartless with their weapons.

Goofy and Donald were teamed up and fighting the Heartless side by side, with Donald casting Thunder Spells and Goofy slamming his shield into the Heartless to do damage. Chase used his new speed and sped behind a Heartless. "Hey, ugly!" he taunted it, making it turn around to glance at him, which proved to be a fatal mistake for it, as Anne had snuck up from behind it and slammed her Keyblade down. The Soldier fell and disappeared in a puff of darkness as the heart floated away until it was out of sight.

"Time to finish this!" Riku declared as he and Sora charged at the remaining Shadows and Soldiers. Anne, Clair, Jason, Dylan, and Chase watched with surprise as Sora and Riku teamed up, delivering many slashes at the Heartless while seemingly zipping back and forth. The Heartless didn't stand a chance against this attack, as one by one, each of the Shadows and Soldiers fell until there was only one Heartless remaining, a Soldier that was damaged earlier by Clair. The two jumped up and descended down at it, bringing their Keyblades down. "You're finished!" Riku exclaimed as they slashed through it together. The Soldier went limp and fell onto its stomach before it faded away in defeat.

Sora relaxed as things had now settled down and dismissed his Keyblade. Riku and Kairi did the same as he did. "Well, it's been a while since we fought Heartless together like that." he commented. "Yeah, it has." Riku nodded with agreement. They then looked back at Yuffie and Lea. "Long time, no see." Yuffie smirked. "Sorry we didn't arrive sooner, Yuffie. Axel." Sora apologized.

Lea sighed. "It's LEA now. L-E-A. Got it memorized?" he asked him, hoping he'd remember.

"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry." Sora chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. He then glanced at the five teenagers nearby. "So, you must be the people that Yen Sid told us about." Riku noted. Jason dismissed his Keyblade and crossed his arms. "And what if we are?"

"Then that means we've found you. My name is Riku. These are my friends Sora and Kairi. I'm pretty sure you've heard of Sora by now." Riku explained.

"I'm Donald!" Donald exclaimed as he pointed to himself. Goofy waved politely. "Hiya, fellas. I'm Goofy!"

The five teenagers just stared at them. "What's the matter? Is there somethin' on my face?" Goofy asked with confusion. Anne shook her head. "No, it's just... we've never seen a talking duck and a talking... dog or whatever..."

Donald and Goofy just had a baffled expression on their faces. "And who are you guys?" Sora asked as he looked at the five.

"My name is Anne."

"Dylan."

Chase shoved Dylan aside with a goofy grin. "Chase, Dylan's brother! The older, handsomer, and stronger of the two!"

Dylan shoved him back. "In your dreams!"

Clair rolled her eyes at their antics. "Clair."

Jason shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. "Jason..." he muttered.

Sora's first impressions on the group were that Anne and Clair seemed like nice people. Chase almost reminded him of himself. He and Dylan appeared to act like typical brothers. He didn't get why Jason acted like that, though.

"It's nice to meet you all." Kairi nodded. "Master Yen Sid told us of the situation, so we came as soon as we could. This may be a lot for you to handle right now, but we'll try to break it down to you guys since you're new." Sora told them.

Riku took a step towards the new Keyblade wielders. "Come on, you guys. We have much to discuss."


	8. The Journey Begins

The new groups walked side by side through the streets together. Anne glanced at Sora, who was happily chatting with Donald and Goofy. This was the boy that Merlin, Yuffie, and Aerith spoke so highly about?

"Man, you have no idea how great it is to be seeing you guys again!" Sora told Leon.

"Likewise." Leon nodded.

"It's been kind of boring without you here, ya know." Yuffie commented.

"So, Lea, how has your training with your Keyblade been going?" Riku asked the pyro. The older man smirked. "Oh, it's been going alright, _Master_ Riku." he joked.

"You don't have to call me master." Riku shook his head modestly. Clair rose an eyebrow. What was he a master at?

Sora then looked back at the five new people. "So, how good are you at using Keyblades?" he inquired. "Sora, it's obvious they're beginners." Donald deadpanned. "I know! I just wanna know how they're dealing with it." Sora shrugged. "Well, we're still learning." Anne explained.

"Clair's very good at magic." Chase piped up. Donald looked at said teen. "Oh, really?" he questioned. Clair looked away shyly. "Well, uh..."

"She is. Merlin's teachin' her a lot of spells." Yuffie explained as she set her fuma shuriken on her back. "Like the Plasma Bolt." Jason mentioned with a smirk.

Anne glared at him for that. Would they ever shut up about it?

Clair whistled innocently as she looked away from Anne. "Well, the spells are amazing." she said. "Jason could use some work on his magic skills."

"Shut up." Jason muttered.

Clair smiled at that. "At least your physical attacks make up for it." Dylan told Jason with a shrug. Jason replied with a humph and shoved his hands into his pockets. "We can help you guys get better at using your Keyblades." Riku told them. However, Jason shook his head. "I'm perfectly fine." Jason said. "I already know how to fight."

"You could use more work." Yuffie told him.

"No, I don't." Jason protested. "Yes, you do." Clair deadpanned.

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't."

"Do."

Dylan rolled his eyes at the banter. Anne sighed and shook her head. _'Just like Chase and Dylan sometimes...'_ she thought to herself. Sora looked around at the buildings, seeing that they looked even more refurbished than the last time he was here. "You know, this place looks a lot better now, Leon!"

"Nothing a little teamwork couldn't handle." Yuffie said with a shrug. "This place might not look like what it did before, but at least it's being fixed." Leon told them. "Well, the Heartless attacking again will have to put the reconstruction on hold."

"In bigger numbers." Yuffie added. "Wait, there were less than before we came here?" Anne asked with surprise. If there were less than before... then that must have meant that their situation was worse. "Yep." Leon sighed. "That means that this is worse than the last Heartless attacks we dealt with." Donald said with a frown as they neared Merlin's house. However, they could hear arguing coming from inside. "Again...?" Leon sighed with a shake of his head.

"... if you call me an 'old loon' again, I'll be sure to wipe out your files!" they heard Merlin exclaim. "You can't even set the time on your clock!" Cid shouted back. Leon sighed and shook his head as he opened the door, letting the group in first. Aerith noticed them as she set a tray of tea down and smiled happily seeing Sora and his group. Merlin and Cid were oblivious to the group entering as they kept arguing. "If you didn't use your spells around my computer, maybe I could get some more programs done!"

"Now, see here, Cid! Your workstation is an absolute _mess_!"

Yuffie had a deadpan expression as she eventually got fed up with the two's ridiculous argument. She heard this almost daily and did _not_ want to hear it today. "YO!" she exclaimed. The two men stopped their argument and looked towards them, seeing the group with them. "Sora!" they gasped. "Donald! Goofy!"

Goofy smiled at the sight of their old friends. "Did ya miss us, you guys?"

"Well, it certainly has been a while." Merlin smiled. "Have a seat, have a seat! We have much we need to discuss!" he offered, quickly cleaning any signs of trash and conjuring up chairs for everyone. Once they had all taken a seat, he cleared his throat. "Now... as you can see, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy have finally arrived..."

Jason just had a bored look.

"They have much to explain. Sora, if you may."

"Sure thing." Sora nodded as he stood up. "So, you guys probably know a little bit about the Heartless..."

"They're basically creatures that eat people's hearts." Clair said. "They steal hearts, yeah." Sora nodded. "And they invaded our homes." Anne continued. Clair looked down sadly. "We saw them attack some people..."

"The Heartless are attracted to the darkness in people's hearts." Sora told the newbies. "They come in all shapes and sizes. Their strength varies." Riku explained. "They are rather strong in numbers, so sometimes, you need to beat them at their own game and use spells that are effective against them."

"Some worlds have Heartless unique to them."

Anne blinked at this information. There were even _more_ versions of Heartless besides the ones they've seen today? This was surprising her more and more by the minute. "Seriously?"

"Yes. Such as a world filled with pirates, it would have some pirate like Heartless and so on." Riku told her. "That, I gotta see." Chase interjected.

"Now... did they tell you about a group called Organization XIII?" Sora asked them as he crossed his arms.

"Little bit." Jason answered. "Good. But there's more. Have they told you about a man named Xehanort?" Riku questioned. "Only a little bit. Yuffie, Leon, Aerith, Merlin, and Cid said that Xehanort was an apprentice to some guy called Ansem the Wise, but Lea here says that Xehanort was an old man." Dylan stated his confusion. "Still not sure how that works." Jason shook his head. "It should be impossible."

"I'm afriad it's not." Riku sighed. "You see... the old man that Lea spoke about is the original Xehanort, Master Xehanort. The man who called himself Xehanort was an incarnation of him, and most likely a vessel he used for his heart."

Chase looked at his brother. "Does the explanation come in the book or the special features?"

Dylan shook his head. "This ain't a comic book, Chase. Stay focused. But yeah, we're confused."

Riku sighed again. "We found this out from Yen Sid, but Master Xehanort is a man who wanted to create a powerful weapon called the X-Blade to take the power of Kingdom Hearts for himself. He ruined several people's lives back then, and we found out that he sent a piece of his heart into someone, who was taken over by Master Xehanort's personality. The man called himself Xehanort, and continued the original Xehanort's schemes."

"Talk about a split personality." Chase muttered. "It gets worse. Xehanort eventually betrayed Ansem the Wise, researching the darkness and Heartless and conducting experiments, taking Ansem's name as his own. What's even more worse was that he split himself into two: a Heartless and a Nobody. His Heartless was named Ansem and his Nobody was named Xemnas." Riku told them.

Jason rose an eyebrow. "Nobody?"

"Remember, we told you this before. It's what's left of someone that loses his or her heart to darkness. If they have a strong heart, their Nobofy can retain a human form." Leon reminded him. "As well as their memories from when they had their hearts."

Jason shook his head. "That is just messed up."

Riku nodded in agreement. "Xehanort's Heartless was the reason for our start of adventures. He destroyed our home, separated us. Kairi lost her heart. Sora ended up lost until he landed in a world called Traverse Town. I ended up succumbing to darkness and... Xehanort's Heartless took me over temporarily." he sighed, closing his eyes.

"WHAT?!" the five exclaimed with shock.

"You were possessed by Professor Wacko?!" Chase asked as his eyes widened. Riku looked down. "Yes... he took advantage of my darkness and took me over temporaily. He used my body to fight Sora before he assumed his true form. Even though Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeated him, he kept haunting me to try and make me fall back into darkness. It turns out, he and his other incarnations intended for ME to be a vessel for Xehanort. Thankfully, that failed. But he's moving on to new targets. That was what Organization XIII was for. His Nobody, Xemnas, formed it."

Sora frowned. "All so he could find vessels to put pieces of his heart in. He LIED to all of them, saying that Nobodies don't have hearts, just so they could become easier to take over."

Anne noticed that Leon, Yuffie, Merlin, Cid, and Aerith were slightly surprised by that information. They must have not known this until now. "So, they _do_ have hearts? The Nobodies?" the teenager questioned. "They can grow one over time, but Xemnas tricked them, planning to turn them all into thirteen vessels for Xehanort's heart." Sora frowned, shaking his head. Dylan looked at them. "Let me guess: Things didn't go according to plan?" he guessed.

"Yes. We derailed their plans... but turns out, the masterminds of the scheme had a backup plan: to gather thirteen other incarnations of Xehanort from different times or people used as vessels and use them as thirteen pieces of darkness." Riku explained to them. "Merlin mentioned that." Chase remembered.

"So, you know that's why the worlds are separated from each other, then." Donald noted. "But...Why would Xehanort want to start a war?" Anne asked with confusion. Why would someone want to start a war like that? For no reason? For spite? For revenge?

Riku sighed and closed his eyes. "He seeks what the X-Blade can unlock: Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds. He wants its power just so he can shape the universe in his image. He's been planning this for a long time..."

Chase gulped. "And... what kind of image would that be?"

"Darkness. HIS darkness." Riku frowned. Chase's knees started shaking at this. "No way..." he shuddered.

"And this has to do with us... how?" Dylan asked, hoping to get some answers. "The Keyblades have chosen you." Riku stated. "And we have to stop him, right?" Clair questioned, trying to grasp the information. "With us, you might. He is also after the seven lights, most likely." Riku said as he crossed his arms.

"Thirteen darkness... Seven lights..." Clair mused.

"I wonder if that's why seven is considered a lucky number while thirteen is unlucky." Anne thought to herself out loud. "But... Where are the seven lights?" Dylan inquired. "They're seven hearts filled with the purest light." Kairi explained. "They're within seven people called The Princesses of Heart."

"Thankfully we know who they are and where they live. Unfortunately... Xehanort knows, too." Riku said grimly. Jason rose an eyebrow at this. "Wait, Princesses?" he asked them. First this talk about Heartless, then Nobodies, then a crazy man that wants to destroy the universe, now _princesses_?!

The silver haired teenager nodded. "Well, who are these 'princesses'?" Chase asked. Goofy started counting off on his fingers. "Well, there's Jasmine, Alice... Cinderella... um..."

"Snow White!" Donald interjected. "And Princess Aurora!"

Jason's eyes widened before he bit his lip to try not and snicker. Aurora, the girl he often fought with nearly every day, shared a name with a princess!

"Belle... And me." Kairi finished with a sigh. The five were surprised. "You?!" they all exclaimed in unison. Kairi nodded. "Yes..." she admitted. "Does... does that mean we need to bow before you?" Clair asked, suprised that the girl in front of them was an actual princess. Kairi rose an eyebrow with confusion. "What? No, of course you don't." she stated.

"Well, that's good." Jason stated, but Clair quickly elbowed her cousin. "Oof! What?!"

Clair just gave him a scolding look. "But why are we involved with this?" Anne asked Riku, ignoring Jason's antics. "Riku crossed his arms. "If you're chosen by a Keyblade, there's a reason behind it. But we don't know that specific reason. It's rather picky about its wielder."

Jason scoffed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Gee, thanks a lot."

"Just because we are Keyblade wielders doesn't mean we know why it chose us immediately." Riku said.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the _helpful_ info." he muttered with sarcasm. Donald folded his arms and glared at the teenager. "What? I don't know why this chunk of metal appeared to me." Jason defended himself with a frown. "I just wanna go home and get back to my life."

Merlin shook his head with a sigh. "That can't happen, I'm afraid."

Jason clenched his fist. "Why?" he asked the wizard. "The Heartless may have caused your world to fall to darkness." Merlin told him. Clair's eyes widened and she stood up. "How could that be...?"

"If the Heartless consume the heart of that world... it's destroyed and fallen into darkness. You see... Radiant Garden looked much brighter before the Heartless attacked. They destroyed our home and we were forced to leave and take residence on a world called Traverse Town." Leon explained. "A bunch of villains took over while we were away and renamed it Hollow Bastion." Yuffie added. "When the Heartless were being defeated, they split and we took our home back. We've been trying to restore it for a year and a half now."

Chase whistled. "You've made some great progress." he commented as he looked out the window. "Are you saying the same thing happened to our worlds?!" Anne asked.

"Maybe even worse... The heart of a world consumed by Heartless."

"Our world and others have hearts?" Jason inquired. "Yes... but some villains seek to plunge them into darkness. Others to rule over. We can't let them do that." Sora explained. "We've been making sure they haven't for the past two and a half years. We managed to defeat a lot back when the first Organization XIII was around."

"We need to warn you about these guys. Xehanort, especially. He is extremly dangerous and cunning." Riku warned. "He'll do whatever he can to complete his plans to start the Keyblade War."

"Then there's Maleficent. She's really nasty." Sora added. "Who?" Anne asked.

Riku scowled at the name of Maleficent. "She's an evil witch that tried to plunge the worlds into darkness during our first adventure... she... manipulated me into attacking Sora when I gave into darkness..."

'She gathered other villains to aid her in takin' over the worlds." Goofy said. "Let's see, there was Ursula, Jafar..."

"Oogie Boogie." Donald added.

"There was Captain Hook..." Sora noted. "And Hades..."

"And Pete." Donald added. Goofy just rose an eyebrow. "I don't think he counts." he shrugged.

"You kidding? He's Maleficent's assistant!" Donald protested. "He's been doing so many horrible things! Tricking others, trying to turn people into Heartless..."

Anne, Jason, Chase, Dylan, and Clair just watched as the three had that conversation. "...what have we gotten mixed up in?" Dylan asked after a moment. "Wish I knew." Anne muttered as she crossed her arms. Clair sighed. "So do I..."

Jason crossed his arms. "Why do I get the feeling we're not going home anytime soon?"

"Probably because we're not." Clair muttered.

Jason frowned. "I did not sign up for this."

"Few ever do." his cousin sighed. Jason frowned. "I just wanted a normal day! Not this!"

"You hated your normal days." Clair reminded him. Jason stiffened up, then shot his cousin a look. "Not _those_ type of normal days. Do NOT remind me." he told her quietly so only she could hear. The other three couldn't hear their conversation, as Chase cleared his throat. "So, about this thing... aren't you gonna prepare us?" he asked.

"After we finished explaining." Riku told him. "Xehanort absolutely cannot get his hands on the X-Blade. We need to keep him from getting the seven Princesses of Heart."

"And... how exactly do we do that? Be their knights in shining armor?" Chase asked.

"We need to try and stop Organization XIII before they achieve their goal. You guys are just beginners, though..." Donald said. Jason, however, crossed his arms again. "I can handle myself." he insisted. Riku shook his head. "You can't do everything on your own." he told him.

Clair sighed and looked at the group. "He likes to work alone..." she explained, shaking her head. "Well, we NEED to work together, whether you like it or not!" Donald told Jason.

"I don't work with others!" Jason frowned. The two glared at each other with frowns on their faces. Anne crossed her arms. "Okay, enough! We can't fight!"

"We should focus on fighting the enemy." Dylan agreed, stepping in between them. Donald and Jason just crossed their arms and turned away from each other. Riku inwardly sighed. _'_ _Now we know who the hothead is...'_ he thought to himself. Dylan shook his head at the antics of the teenager and the duck. "So, how much time do we have?" he inquired. "Enough to train you before it's time for us to head out together." Kairi explained.

"Then we should get started." Riku nodded as he glanced back at the five. "Hope you're ready for this."

* * *

They had led them outside in order to train them. Plus, they didn't want to make a mess in Merlin's house. Anne had gone to train with Sora. Kairi and Clair decided to train together, which left Riku and Jason to train together.

"So, how good are you with a Keyblade?" Sora asked Anne.

"Not so good... but so far I can fight the Heartless. Like you guys said, we're beginners." Anne replied with a shrug. Sora smiled. "Well, we can help with that."

Sora summoned his Keyblade, Kingdom Key. "I can teach ya the ropes."

Anne looked at her own Keyblade. "You think we'll be able to keep up with you guys?"

The spiky haired teen smiled. "Definitely."

"So, you ready?" Sora grinned.

"No." Anne deadpanned with a shake of her head. She gulped as Sora readied his Keyblade. "Okay, when fighting, you should be sure to be on your guard." he advised. "O-Okay..." the teenage girl said nervously. Sora then charged at her. Anne screamed and without thinking, held her Keyblade in front of her and blocked his swing. "Oh yeah! Nice one!" Sora grinned as he jumped away.

"Just like that?" Anne questioned. "Yeah! Exactly!" he smiled in response. Anne smiled back. "Well, that wasn't so bad." she shrugged. Sora smiled. "Okay, here's another move you can use!"

Anne rose an eyebrow. "What is it?" she inquired. She got her answer when Sora threw her Keyblade at her! The teenager's eyes widened before she screamed and jumped to the right, diving down to the ground and shielding her head with her free arm. The keyblade flew back to Sora's hand. "That move is called Strike Raid. I haven't used this move in a while." he explained.

"Why'd you throw it at ME?!" Anne asked as she pushed herself up. "You need to know when to dodge incoming attacks. Trust me, I had to learn myself." Sora replied with a shrug. "Still, a little heads up next time?" Anne requested, dusting her jacket off. "Have you practiced using magic while fighitng?" the boy inquired.

"Yeah, we have been, but Clair's the one who can do it better." the brunette replied with a shrug. "She can learn spells faster than we can."

"Well, now's the time you can practice using your magic." Sora told her. "Do you know one of the basic spells, like Fire?"

Anne nodded in reply. "Then try to attack me with that." the teenager said. The teenager aimed her Keyblade at him. "You sure?"

"Sure. Fire away." he told her, then laughed at the pun.

"Fire!" Anne shot a fireball from the tip of her Keyblade at him. Sora blocked it with his Keyblade and smiled. "Hey, nice!"

"Thanks..." she thanked. "Now, try hitting me with a Thunder spell! You DO know that one, right?" Sora added, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, but I haven't used it much. Aren't you worried of getting electrocuted?"

"Nope."

Anne sighed and took a deep breath, concentrating. "Thunder!" she exclaimed, holding her Keyblade up in the air, casting the spell. Lightning came from the tip and zipped towards Sora, but the more experienced Keyblade wielder dodged the bolts with ease. "Not bad." he commented. Anne blinked with surprise. He managed to dodge that?

"Not bad. Okay, now let's see if you can dodge this!"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Anne exclaimed, caught off guard by his statement. Sora charged forward and swung at her, causing Anne to be sent tumbling backwards. "OW!" she groaned. "You've gotta be able to block attacks." Sora told her as he helped her up. "Easier said than done..." Anne muttered as she held her arm. "Enemies will try to attack you with every chance they get with no hesitation." the blue eyed teen continued his explanation. "Don't give them that chance."

The girl nodded. "Don't give the enemy the chance to attack. Got it. What's next?" she asked. "Well, sometimes, you can use the enemies attacks against them. Like a counter attack." Sora told her, thinking of the times he deflected an attack back at a Heartless. "So... just attack when they attack?" Anne inquired, trying to follow the explanation. "Well... you see, you need to wait for a good moment to attack. You can't just rush in." Sora advised.

"You should tell Chase that." she joked.

"Why? Does he rush in?" Sora guessed. "Well... he tends to do stuff without thinking." Anne deadpanned, adjusting her headphones around her neck.

Sora chuckled, thinking of Donald during their first adventures. "Sounds like someone I know."

This earned a chuckle from Anne. "So, try attacking me." Sora told her. Anne rushed forward ready to strike, but Sora yet again blocked with ease. Anne's eyes widened before Sora forced her back. Anne was taken by surprise by this and ended up landing on her back. "Oof!" she grunted upon landing on the brick ground. Sora helped her up again. "You've gotta be ready. Let's try this again."

Once Sora had his Keyblade ready, Anne charged forward and swung at him. Sora blocked her Keyblade with ease. The teenage girl gritted her teeth and struggled to push him back. However, she landed on her back instead. "Try to push me back this time." Sora said. Anne pushed herself up before charging at the teenager once again. Their blades clashed and she struggled to push him backwards. Anne dug her feet into the ground and tried to push him back. Sora stood his ground as they tried to push each other back, but Sora could feel his feet slipping out from underneath him, causing him to stumble back. She did it!

Anne's green eyes widened. "Yes!" she whooped, pumping a fist in the air. Sora smiled. "Hey, good job!" he said as he got up to his feet. "Thanks..." Anne said with a nod.

"Okay, so you've got that part down. Ready for more?" Sora inquired. He got another nod from Anne in response. "Then let's go!" Sora said as he got ready. And with that, the two teenagers charged at each other with their Keyblades ready.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kairi was training with Clair. Currently, Kairi was showing her the moves she had learned during her time training with Riku, Master Yen Sid, and even King Mickey. The King had spent a little time with them to help her train before he returned to Disney Castle.

Clair blocked a swing quickly. "You know, I actually started learning how to use a Keyblade several weeks ago." Kairi admitted, taking another swing at her. Clair blocked it before lowering her Keyblade to her side. "Really?" she asked, slightly surprised. "Yeah." Kairi nodded, pausing their training session. "Yen Sid and Riku were teaching me. They told me I learn pretty fast. I hear you learn fast, too."

"Only when it comes to magic." Clair admitted. Kairi swung at her and ended up disarming Clair, causing her Keyblade to be sent flying away and landing on the brick ground with a clatter nearby. Clair's eyes widened at this. "One thing they taught me is to not get distracted during battle." Kairi advised.

Clair took note of this, but she gasped in surprise as her Keyblade suddenly returned to her hand in a flash of light. "How... how did it do that?!" she asked, pointing at it with her free hand. Kairi smiled lightly. "A Keyblade always returns to its user, even if they try to get rid of it." she explained.

Clair smiled. "Jason's not going to like that."

The redhead rose an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"He might try to throw his away eventually. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't tried already. "If you were listening... I don't think he wants to a part of this." Clair sighed, shaking her head. "He just wants to go home."

"I'm afraid you guys can't..." Kairi sighed. "Because... your world might be taken over by darkness."

"I know." Clair said. "We were told that earlier."

"If it is... the damage might be irreversible." Kairi added. That had not occurred to Clair. "What?"

Kairi gestured around them. "This place was utter ruin the last time I was here. It was a ghost town. Even though it looks much more lively, there is still more that needs to be repaired." she explained, then let out a sigh. "Your world might not even be there ever again if we don't stop Xehanort."

Clair tightened her Keyblade at this. Her world might be gone for good? "Then we stop Xehanort." she stated with a frown.

Kairi nodded. "That's the spirit. Now let's go."

Clair shot a Blizzard spell at Kairi. The red haired girl avoided it. "Cold. I could feel that chill." she nodded. Clair smiled shyly. "Now, let's work on your fighing skills." Kairi said before she swung her Keyblade. Clair's eyes widened before she quickly blocked Kairi's swing. Kairi swung again and Clair quickly jumped away. Kairi fired a Blizzard spell at her, but Clair remembered what Merlin had taught her and quickly casted Aero, protecting her from the attack and deflecting it to the ground.

"Nice one." Kairi said. "I'm sure the Heartless won't stand a chance."

"You think so?" Clair asked.

"Positive. Now, let's keep going." Kairi told her. The teenager nodded and readied her Keyblade, ready for whatever she needed to do next.

* * *

Elsewhere, Riku was training with Jason. Or at least, trying to.

Jason tapped his foot as his Keyblade hung at his side, beginning to lose his patience. "Well?"

Riku looked at him. "Well, what?" he questioned.

"Are we gonna do this or not?" Jason asked.

"When you learn patience, we will." Riku replied. Jason rolled his eyes. "Patience, smatience." he muttered. The silver haired teen sighed and shook his head. "You can't expect everything to happen now. Now, try to hit me with an attack."

Jason charged forward and prepared to attack, but Riku quickly blocked it and they ended up in a sword lock. "You have to catch your opponent by surprise. You need to have a plan of attack when you're about to strike your enemy."

"I know how to fight!" Jason gritted out, trying to push him back.

"Not when it comes to using a Keyblade, apparently." Riku noted as the sword lock broke. They jumped away and landed at least ten feet away from each other. "Try hitting me with one of the basic spells."

"Fire!" Nothing happened. Jason groaned and looked at his Keyblade. "Oh, not again! C'mon, you stupid sword! FIRE!" he exclaimed, trying to get it to work. A fireball shot out of the tip and was hurled towards the Keyblade Master. Riku deflected it with his blade and it landed harmlessly a few feet away. "Not a bad fireball." he commented casually. "But some enemies might be immune to certain spells. So you need to be careful on which spell you use during battle."

"Yeah, yeah..." Jason muttered. "Now try to attack me again." Riku ordered. Jason rushed at him and swung at him, but Riku kicked his legs out from underneath him. "Keep your guard up at all times." Riku said.

"I know how to do that!" Jason frowned as he pushed himself up. "You're gonna go down easily out there if you don't keep your guard up." Riku continued.

"But why am I here? Why am I involved with this?" Jason frowned.

"Because the Keyblade chose you." Riku replied simply.

"So what? I don't want it." Jason muttered before chucking it away. However, it reappeared in his hand a moment later in a flash of light. "What the?!"

Riku crossed his arms. "Yeah, that's not going to work."

Jason growled and threw it again, but it returned to his hand as soon as it landed on the ground. "OH, COME ON!" he exclaimed with a frustrated growl before he hurled it away. Riku just watched with an amused smirk as Jason kept attempting to throw away his Keyblade, but kept failing.

The teenager threw it again and smirked victoriously, thinking he was rid of it. However, his Keyblade suddenly spun around like a boomerang and hit him in the back of the head. "OOF!" he grunted as he fell on his stomach flat on the ground. "How did it do that...?" he groaned.

Riku rose an eyebrow at the Keyblade's act while it clattered on the ground. "Honestly, I don't know."

Jason groaned as he slowly got up rubbing the back of his head. "Stupid chunk of metal..."

"These 'stupid chunks of metal' are extremely powerful weapons, but very dangerous depending on who uses it." Riku told him, remembering of his time when he gave into the darkness. Jason grumbled to himself as he glared at his Keyblade in his hand. "Well, of all people, why is this coming to me?! None of this makes sense!"

"Because it chose you."

"That doesn't explain anything!" Jason snapped.

"You'll have to find out yourself." Riku sighed, trying to keep his patience with the teenager. Jason growled and began to storm away, but Riku stopped him. "Oh no, you don't. We still need to train."

Jason grumbled. "Whatever..." he muttered. He just wanted to go back to his life. He didn't understand why he and his cousin were being dragged into this. Jason was already getting frustrated, but it looked like there was no way he was getting out of this.

"Well, your Keyblade skills are a little sloppy, but we can improve on that. Based on your swings, you use your fists often, don't you?" Riku guessed. Jason frowned, but nodded. "Well, pretend you're punching when you swing at times."

"Now that, I can do." Jason said as he swung his Keyblade. Riku blocked it quickly with Way to Dawn. "Better. Still needs some work." he said casually. "Again."

The walnut brown haired teen groaned and slumped over. He had a feeling he was gonna be doing this for a while...

* * *

As the three were learning the use of their Keyblades, or at least trying to, Chase and Dylan were with Lea and Leon at a clear, empty area in the town. "Okay... we don't have those key-thingies... but why are we with you?" Chase inquired. "You both may not have a Keyblade, but you'll need to improve on your magic and fighting skills. Chase, you may have speed on your side, but you still need to know combat. Dylan, you're rather good at far ranged attacks with your magic, but you need to know close combat." Leon said.

"Basically, we're gonna teach you how to fight up close with tough opponents. Got it memorized?" Lea asked, pointing at his temple.

"Yeah, we got it." Dylan nodded.

Leon readied his gunblade. "First rule of combat: always keep your guard up." he said as he charged forward. The Enheart brothers yelled in surprise as they jumped away while he swung at them. "Are you trying to kill us?!" Chase screamed.

"Enemies will." Leon said. Dylan pulled his sword out of his sheath on his back. Leon swung at him and Dylan quickly threw his arm up, blocking the swing. "Ah, you get it." Leon nodded.

Lea summoned his Keyblade and swung at Chase. Chase shrieked and zoomed out of the way. Lea swung again, but Chase avoided it. "You can't just dodge throughout the whole battle, kid." he shook his head. "You need to fight back."

"I don't have a sword!" Chase said. "How am I supposed to fight?!"

"Try using your fists." Lea deadpanned. "Ohhh..." Chase realized before he zipped forward and gave a right hook that connected with Lea's face. Lea stumbled a bit, but smirked. "Not bad." he grinned. "Get that memorized and you'll land a bunch of surprise attacks.

Dylan swung his sword at Leon, which connected with his gunblade. "Keep an eye out for your teammates. You have no idea when they might get hurt during battle. If everyone else is injured, it's up to you to either heal them for fight for them. Also, you can team up with a teammate in order to deal more damage." Leon advised.

"Got it." Dylan said, taking note of this. He'd _definitely_ need to keep an eye out for Chase during battle. Chase was always rushing in. No doubt he'd get hurt from a reckless action.

He was then hit in the side.

"Let your guard down."

Dylan fell on the ground, but he pushed himself up and got his sword ready. "Thunder!" he exclaimed, holding his sword up in the air. Bolts of lightning came down from the sky. Leon dodged with ease. "Try again." he told him calmly.

Dylan swung his sword again, this time, landing a hit. "Hey, not bad." Leon commented. Just then, Donald came running over. "Hey, you three!" he exclaimed, pointing at Lea, Chase, and Dylan. "Uh... yeah?" Chase asked.

"Hope you're ready to travel!"

Dylan blinked. "Wait, what?"

"We're getting ready to leave! Sora told me to get you three!" Donald told him.

"Wait, Lea is coming?"

"Of course! You think I'm just gonna sit here?" Lea smirked.

"Let's go!" Chase ran off, leaving a dust trail behind him. "Wait! Do you even know where we're supposed to go?" Dylan called after his brother. Donald sighed before he, Lea, and Dylan went after Chase. However, Chase suddenly ran back to them. "One question: where are we going?"

Dylan smacked his forehead. He couldn't believe how his brother could act sometimes.

"That way." Donald pointed towards a direction. "But stay with us!"

Chase made a pouty face at this. Lea patted him on the shoulder. "You'll need to save your energy for the bad boys. Got it memorized?" he smirked. Chase nodded and they ran off with Donald leading them.

However, when they reached their destination, they found Sora, Riku and Kairi with Clair, Jason, Anne, and Goofy waiting for them. The two stared in awe at what was nearby. A big, red and yellow ship was parked by them!

"WHOA!" the two exclaimed with shock. "What is THAT?!" Anne asked with awe.

Sora grinned. "A Gummi Ship! It's what we use to travel to other worlds!" he explained cheerfully. "Nice!" Clair smiled. "You definitely don't see this on Harthyn."

Anne looked at her. "I thought your world was super advanced."

"We're only beginning to truly explore space. We've gotten to the fifth planet in our solar system." Clair shrugged. "Seriously?" Anne asked her fellow teen with surprise. Clair nodded. "Besides, the idea of other worlds that aren't part of our galaxy is considered a fantasy."

"Well, not anymore, it ain't." Chase noted.

Clair smiled. "Indeed it's not."

Jason crossed his arms and stared up at the ship. "Doesn't look like much."

Donald and Goofy smiled mischievously. Just then, Merlin and Aerith came rushing to them carrying some things in their arms. "Wait!" Merlin called, trying to catch his breath before handing Clair a couple books and a few bottles of something. "Here. You can learn more on the way. And these here are potions. They can heal you if you run out of magic."

Clair's eyes widened with surprise at Merlin's gifts. "Uh... thank you."

Aerith handed Chase, Jason, Dylan, and Anne some potions as well. "Thanks." Chase smiled as they put them in their pockets or pouches. "You must all be careful out there. The enemies you will face later on will be ruthless. Let's just hope your training pays off." Merlin told them, adjusting his glasses. "I wish you all the best of luck. Until we meet again."

"Good luck!" Aerith told them. Clair was about to say something, but Merlin and Aerith had already turned around and walked away. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kairi then walked over to the Gummi Ship and a platform lowered. Sora glanced back at the new group with a smile. "Well? You guys comin'?"

Anne, Chase, Dylan, Clair, and Jason followed them up the platform and into the Gummi Ship. However, they paused as they stepped inside. It was rather large inside. It had plenty of space to walk around in. A few doors could be seen in a hall and there were many buttons and levers at the control panel in the cockpit. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Gummi Ship." Riku smirked as he walked past them.

Clair looked around in awe. "This... this is amazing! I've never seen the likes of something like this before!"

Chase grinned as he zoomed around looking at the many things around the cockpit. Anne just stood in place with a look of amazement evident on her face. Jason reached out to press a button, but Donald smacked his hand away. "Hey! No touching the buttons! I'm the pilot!" he scolded. Jason frowned and rolled his eyes at the duck. Sora walked past them and got into a seat, buckling up. "Better get in a seat, everybody."

The new ones snapped out of their daze and quickly found a seat, as well as the more experienced fighters. Lea casually kicked his feet up and folded his arms behind his head once he was in his seat. "Hope you don't have a weak stomach." he smirked as Donald got the controls ready.

Anne's eyes widened and she took off her headphones. "Wait, WHAT?!"

"BLAST OFF!" Donald cried out, slamming his hand down on the launch button. The engines kicked on and the Gummi Ship rose off the ground. Even though the engines were loud, Anne's screaming could be heard over them. The five were forced back into their seats as the Gummi Ship suddenly jerked forward and shot straight into the air and zoomed away from Radiant Garden. Anne screamed as she clutched her seat.

The others held on tightly with wide eyes. They then noticed the ship had slowed down. Goofy looked back at them with a smile. "Why don't ya take a peek out the windows?"

Anne was practically clinging onto her seat with a wide eyed look, so Dylan had to help her out of it. Anne gasped when she saw what was outside. There were THOUSANDS of stars around, as well as many oddly shaped worlds!

Clair had a look of awe. "It's so... amazing."

Jason's eyes widened. "Whoa..." Chase gasped. "Those... are worlds?" Anne asked.

"Yep." Donald nodded. "There's so many..." Anne observed.

Sora smiled. "I know, right? You guys better get comfy, cause it might be a while until we arrive on a world."

The new fighters headed back to their seats as Anne put her headphones back on over her ears. She couldn't believe that many worlds like the ones she was seeing existed! What would each look like? The teen had a feeling that very soon, they'd find out.

She let out a sigh as she looked out the window from her seat. What would be waiting for them on whatever world they land on?

The teen had a feeling that very soon, they'd find out.


	9. The Fight at Twilight

As the ship sailed throughout the Sea of the Skies, Donald stayed at the pilot's seat as Chase was currently peering over his shoulder at the many buttons. The tan skinned teenager reached out to press one, but Donald stopped him with a glare.

"Hey, no pushing the buttons!" he scolded with a scowl. Chase groaned and slumped his shoulders. Dylan rolled his eyes at his brother's antics. "Chase, let the, uh... duck, fly this thing." he told him.

Jason was staring out the windows drumming his fingers against the dashboard impatiently. However, his cousin was looking out at the vast space outside observing the stars. "I've never seen so many stars in my life..." she whispered in awe. Anne was currently listening to her music blasting through her headphones. Over the past hour, she had managed to calm down a bit from the lift off. She was just praying that she wouldn't have to go through that again for a while.

Sora was relaxing in his seat with a smile as he glanced out the window. This reminded him so much of old times, when he, Donald, and Goofy traveled together to stop the Heartless and when they were stopping the Nobodies and Organization XIII. Now, here they are again. This would probably be even more of an adventure than the last time!

Kairi sat nearby as she looked out the window in deep thought. She didn't understand why she felt that Radiant Garden seemed... familiar to her. The Princess of Heart couldn't get the thought out of her mind ever since they arrived and left... she'd need to tell Sora and Riku this, soon.

Lea had kicked back and relaxed in his seat. He had never traveled by Gummi Ship before, since he was used to traveling through Dark Corridors back in his Nobody days. This mode of transportation would take him some time getting used to. He had to admit, this was more comfortable than a Dark Corridor.

"Are we there, yet?" Jason questioned with impatience. Riku shook his head. "No. Not yet. Sometimes, traveling to a certain world can take a while." the silver haired teen answered. Jason groaned. "Well, can't this thing go any faster?!"

"It can, but if you keep asking, I'll fly it slower." Donald smirked as he kept piloting the ship. Jason frowned and folded his arms. "Big Mouth."

"What did you say?!" Donald looked at him.

"Big Mouth." Jason repeated. "Or do you prefer Flat Feet? Or Fowl Temper?"

"I DO NOT HAVE A TEMPER!"

"You kinda do, Donald." Goofy commented. "NO, I DO NOT!" Donald yelled at his friend. Chase just smiled as he watched them. "Yes, you do." Sora said casually. Donald's face turned red with anger at this. "I DO NOT!" he squawked. Clair frowned slightly. "Jason, what did you start now?" she asked her cousin.

Jason shrugged with a frown. "I didn't start anything."

Clair looked at him. "Yes, you did. Only you can start arguments like this." she sighed, shaking her head.

"He said Donald had a temper." Riku said.

"WHICH I DO NOT!"

"Well, it looks like it's true." Dylan commented from his seat. Donald seethed angrily as he clenched his fists. Anne couldn't hear any of the argument since her headphones were on, so she just sat in her seat casually. In her mind, she was the one singing this song she was listening to while rocking it out on a stage with a guitar in her hands. The teenager smiled subconciously at this as the argument continued.

"... I do not have a temper!" Donald snapped. "Hey! Headphones! Help me out here!"

However, Anne didn't respond. "HEADPHONES!" Donald cried out. Yet again, no response. Donald's eye twitched before he stopped the Gummi Ship and stormed over to Anne and yanked the headphones off her ears. "HEY!"

Anne flinched from the outburst and screamed, falling out of her seat. "GAH!"

"Tell the others I do not have a temper!" Donald demanded. He only received a blank stare from her. "Uh... looks like you do have one." Anne said uncertainly as she picked up her headphones and placed them on their resting place around her neck. Donald glared at her before screaming, "WAAAAAAAAAAAK!"

He then stormed back to the controls and resumed flying the ship, seething under his breath. Clair gave Jason a scolding look at what he started. Jason frowned and looked away.

Suddenly, an image appeared on the navigation monitor. Goofy peered over Donald's shoulder and his eyes widened. "Hey, we're getting close to a world!" he pointed out. Sora jumped out of his seat and ran to the monitor. As he read the words, his eyes widened. "It's Twilight Town, you guys!" he smiled happily.

Kairi rose an eyebrow. "The place where Hayner, Pence, and Olette live?" she inquired. Lea also rose an eyebrow at this. He remembered hearing those names before. He met them back when he was Axel and when his Nobody had kidnapped Kairi. If they recognized him as his Nobody, this could possibly mean trouble and a _lot_ of explaining to those three.

"Yeah!" Sora grinned with a nod of his head. Donald took the controls and steered the ship to the world. "Hang on, everybody!"

Anne's eyes widened as the ship took a sudden dip down. She clung onto her seat yelling and closing her eyes tightly. However, the ship jerked to a halt a few minutes later. "We're here!" Goofy called cheerfully. Anne dared to open an eye and looked at her new teammates. Sora smiled. "Come on, you guys!"

Anne nervously got out of her seat. The platform leading out slowly opened up and a bright light hit her eyes. Anne shielded her face from it. Once her eyes adjusted to it, she lowered her arms and her eyes widened. She could see the sky, which was a rather nice mixture of orange and yellow and she could see a sunset in the distance. Around them was a town had many buildings in different shapes and sizes with a brick road as a path. There were many arches, alleys, passages, and she could even see a train slowly chugging away in the distance. "Whoa..." she whispered.

Sora smiled widely and walked down the platform that led out of the Gummi Ship. "Come on!" he called to the group over his shoulder. The group followed him out, but the new ones lagged behind. Chase stopped in place as soon as he saw the town. "Whoa..." he whistled. Clair looked around in awe. "It's so beautiful. I never thought twilight was so colorful." she noted.

Goofy smiled. "Gawrsh, this place sure brings back memories!"

Donald nodded. "Yeah." he smiled as well. Lea casually shoved his hands into his pockets as they strolled down the path that led into the town. It was just the way he remembered it. A constant sunset hanging over the town to lighten the place up, creating a beautiful atmosphere. He could see the tower that he and Roxas would hang out on, eating their favorite ice cream and joking about the stupidest things. The pyro's smile fell slightly at the memory. He missed those times...

Chase then noticed a little shop up ahead with a sign hanging over it. "Ooh, ice cream!" he pointed out with a childish grin before looking at the group. "Can we get some, please? I'm hungry."

Dylan crossed his arms, shaking his head. "Chase, focus." he told his brother. However, Sora had different thoughts than the black haired teen did about it. "Sure! It's been a while since I've had this flavor!" he agreed. "Who wants some?"

Most of the group answered with a 'yes', 'sure', or 'yeah'. Jason just shrugged. "Sure, why not..." he muttered, not really caring. Sora walked over to the owner at the shop. "Hello! My friends and I would like some Sea Salt Ice Cream, please!"

The owner of the stand smiled at the teen's enthusiam. "Comin' right up." he said before he reached into the cooler and pulled out at least ten light blue popsicle like treats. "That'll be 100 munny. Enjoy!"

Sora paid for it and gratefully took the treats. "Thanks!" he grinned before heading back to the group. Jason eyed the blue treat before he took one from Sora and took a bite out of it. Almost immediately, the flavor hit his taste buds full blast. "Hm. Not bad." he commented with a nod before eating it more.

"Salty... but sweet!" Chase grinned. "I was gonna go for sweet, yet salty." Dylan joked.

"Same thing!"

Clair smiled as she took a bite of hers. "This is delicious!"

Anne looked on as the group ate their ice cream, then hesitantly took a bite of her treat herself. Almost immediately, her eyes widened as the flavor hit her. It _was_ salty, but at the same time, sweet. "This is incredible!" she smiled as she bit off another chunk of it. She couldn't get enough! Why didn't they have flavors like this back at home?!

The new group headed down the road together eating their ice cream. Chase and Anne finished theirs quickly, but Chase ate his faster than she did and almost immediately cringed, holding his head. "Ah! Brain freeze!" he winced out, squeezing his eyes shut. "That's what you get for eating it too fast!" Dylan rolled his eyes.

"But it was so good!" Chase protested.

Anne rolled her green eyes at Chase's antics, but then noticed three figures in the distance hanging out by what appeared to be a chained fence. She noticed that two appeared to be male while the other was female. "Hey, is that...?" Donald squinted, trying to get a better look from where they were. "It's Hayner, Pence, and Olette!" Goofy recognized them.

"You know those guys?" Jason questioned, crossing his arms. "Yeah. They're some friends we've made about a year ago when we were fighting the first Organization XIII." Sora nodded before he looked back at the three, who didn't seem to notice them. "Hey! Hayner! Pence! Olette! Over here!" the teen called, cupping his hands around his mouth to project his voice. One of them, a teenage boy with light blonde hair, reacted first, noticing them and his eyes widened. "Hey!" he called, waving his arm above his head. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!"

The new ones of the group, including Lea, hung back as the others headed to greet the two boys and girl. "Heya, Hayner! It's been a while!" Sora grinned at his friend. Hayner smirked as he and the brown haired teen fist bumped. "Yeah, it sure has! How've you been?"

"Well, let's just say I've been doing a lot of stuff, lately." Sora chuckled. "You?"

"Not much." Hayner shrugged. "We've been enjoying the times we have off, though."

The other boy, Pence, noticed Kairi and his eyes widened. "Hey, you found Kairi!" he exclaimed. Sora grinned and nodded, gesturing to Riku behind him. "I also found Riku!"

"Really? That's wonderful!" Olette smiled happily. Pence looked at the silver haired teen. "You must be Riku. Sora's been talking all about you and Kairi the last time he was here. He was really determined to find you two. My name's Pence. The girl is Olette and the guy over there is Hayner." he introduced with a smile, but then looked over his shoulder at the new members of the group. "Hey, who are these guys?" Hayner questioned, shoving a hand into one of his pockets.

Sora rose an eyebrow, slightly confused, but then realized who he was talking about. "Oh, this is Jason, Clair, Anne, Chase, and Dylan. They're new friends of ours."

Jason just shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away. Hayner then noticed Lea. The pyro gave a sheepish smile and waved. "Hey..."

"YOU! You're the guy who kidnapped Kairi!" Hayner pointed at him. Pence and Olette rose an eyebrow and looked at the red haired man, then their eyes widened in recognition. Lea held up his hands in an attempt to explain, while at the same time trying not to drop his ice cream. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Settle down! Sorry! That was back when I was Axel!"

The five new members of the group looked at Lea with surprise. "You did what?!" Anne asked. They were teamed up with a kidnapper?!

Sora waved his hands frantically. "Whoa, guys! We can explain! He's on our side now! Look, he kidnapped her cause he was ordered to, but he switched sides and helped us fight against those Nobodies! He's cool now!" Sora told the Twilight Town trio. Dylan crossed his arms and looked at Lea with an eyebrow raised. "Well... he did save us when we were in trouble..."

"See?" Sora told them. Kairi waved her hand dismissively. "It's all water under the bridge now." she said.

Hayner crossed his arms, seeming to be in deep thought for a moment. "Well... if you guys are okay with him now... then I guess that means he's cool." he muttered. Lea took a bite of his ice cream silently. Olette folded her arms behind her back. "Sorry about the hostility." she apologized, seeing he was sincere. Hoping to change the subject, Sora spoke up. "Hey, have you guys seen anything... suspicious around here, lately?"

Pence rose an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" the portly boy asked. "Well... any weird looking creatures like the ones from last year or the members of the Organization? You know, the guys in the black coats?" Sora inquired. Hayner shook his head. "Haven't seen anyone in a black coat, but... I do remember seeing something that looked like it had yellow eyes." the teen replied to them.

"When exactly was that?" Riku questioned.

"Um... yesterday?" Hayner shrugged. "Don't remember what time, though."

Riku crossed his arms. "So, there are Heartless here again, too..." he noted quietly. _'The other worlds must have Heartless again, as well...'_ the teen thought to himself.

"There it is!" Chase ran off and tackled something. "Got you now, you Heartless!"

"WAAAGH! I'm not a Heartless! Get off me!"

Chase looked up and saw who he had tackled. It was a small figure with yellow dots for eyes with a hat that had a zipper that appeared to be a mouth. It wore a blue jacket that obscured most of its face with green pants and brown shoes. "Huh?"

"Uh... that's Vivi. Not what we saw." Hayner pointed out. "Vivi?" Chase asked with confusion before looking back at the person he had tackled.

"Can you let me go, please?!" Vivi asked.

"Uh... sorry." Chase released his grip on him. The little guy then ran away from them. "Way to go, dummy." Dylan deadpanned, crossing his arms. "Hey, I didn't know he wasn't a Heartless!" Chase defended himself.

"He did look just like one." Clair shrugged. "Next time, maybe you should look before you leap."

Chase slouched over with a groan. "Where did you see the Heartless?" Anne asked, hoping they could get back on task. "We saw them near the train station last time, but they seem to be moving around a lot here." Hayner explained. "Where is the station?" Clair inquired. "This way." Olette gestured in the direction. "Lead the way, then." Sora nodded. The group followed the Twilight Trio through the town in search of the Heartless. Jason was the last to follow them and lagged behind. Anne kept looking around. Surprisingly, there weren't any signs of Heartless. Not a single aspect or trace of the creatures of darkness.

When they reached the train station, they noticed a large and high clock tower looming above them. Anne paled seeing how high it was.

However, Lea looked up at it with a wistful expression and inwardly sighed, remembering the times he and Roxas would sit up there. Such good times... now gone.

"Huh? That's weird... the Heartless aren't here..." Pence muttered with surprise, looking around. "But they were here!" Hayner insisted. "Sure." Jason shook his head. "Maybe you saw it somewhere else." he muttered.

Hayner glared at him. "I saw those things here! I know it!"

Jason crossed his arms. "Oh really? Then where are they?"

"I don't know!" Hayner retorted.

"Jason, don't you start." Clair warned. Jason looked at his cousin. "I'm not interested in being dragged on a wild goose chase just to get mugged or something."

"I know what I saw!" Hayner snapped at him.

"Maybe you should get your eyes checked." Jason retorted. As Jason and Hayner bickered, Anne shook her head. They were getting nowhere here...

Olette smiled a bit. "Hayner tends to act tough, but he's a sweet guy." she explained. "Jason's just a hothead" Clair said. "Looks like he and Hayner have that in common." Olette chuckled.

"Olette!" Hayner whined. Jason frowned at Clair for that. "Whatever." he retorted. "But I'm not sticking around for a wild goose cha-"

He was cut off by what sounded like a scream in the distance. Sora, Donald, and Goofy's eyes widened hearing the scream before they tooki off running towards the direction with the others quickly following. "What's going on?!" Pence asked as he tried to keep up with the group. "We don't know!" Dylan replied. Was this another Heartless? Was it attacking the people of this town?

What if they arrived too late?

* * *

As they reached the Tram Common area, they all skidded to a halt glancing around them. Surprisingly, no one was around, but they could see some items that were dropped. People had most likely scrambled away to another part of town for safety. "Where is everyone?" Sora inquired.

"The place is deserted." Chase stated the obvious.

"It's like a ghost town." Dylan noted.

"There were people here earlier..." Hayner told them as he looked around. "Did they go inside?"

"If they did, then they must be hiding from something..." Riku said.

"But what?" Dylan asked.

Clair looked up and gasped. "Maybe that!"

Anne rose an eyebrow, looked up, and gasped as well. "WHOA!" she exclaimed, taking a step back. Hovering above the group was a massive Heartless. The Heartless had black wings that appeared to be part bat and part butterfly. It had a purple beak like face with yellow dots for eyes and talons on the end of each finger. The body appeared to be bird like with a color scheme of purple and black.

"What is that?!" Pence asked with wide eyes.

"A Heartless." Riku stated as they stared at the gargantuan bird like Heartless. "But it's not one I've seen before."

"That thing's huge!" Dylan exclaimed, taking a step back. "What should we call it?" Clair suddenly inquired.

Chase looked at her. "You're wondering that now?"

The teenage girl simply shrugged. "If it's a new one, then we should get to name it." she stated. Chase glanced back at the Heartless. "Well... it looks like a Freaky Fairy!"

Dylan shook his head. "Nah, that doesn't look like one. It looks more like a... Harpy."

"Guys, can we focus on taking the thing down and not naming it?!" Anne asked the two brothers.

Sora glanced back at the Twilight Trio. "Hayner, Pence, Olette, you guys get somewhere safe!" he ordered, summoning his Keyblade. "Got it. Good luck!" Olette nodded before she, Pence, and Hayner took off to hide from the large Heartless. The newly named Harpy then dived down towards the group. Immediately, they all jumped out of the way. Anne called her Keyblade and got ready. Dylan unsheathed his sword as Jason, Riku, Kairi, Clair, and Lea summoned their Keyblades as well while Donald got his wand ready and Goofy pulled out his shield. The Harpy loudly screeched at them.

"Here it comes!" Riku warned. Donald reacted first and casted a Blizzard spell at the open beak. The Harpy jerked back at the sudden chill as it hit its mouth. It shook its head to try and get its senses back, but this allowed Sora to attack the head. He whacked it a few times before he was forced back by the Harpy. Sora flipped back up and landed on his feet. Jason ran forward, but got knocked back by one of the massive wings. "GAH!"

"Jason!" Clair gasped as Jason landed on the ground, groaning in pain. She quickly ran to her cousin's side. Jason struggled to get up. "I'm fine." he insisted. However, he winced and held his arm. "No, you're not!" Clair told him, helping him up. She quickly casted Cure to heal him. Jason then tested out his arm. His eyes widened. "Thanks, Clair."

Anne yelled in surprise as the Harpy swiped at her with its talons. She dived out of the way and ended up landing on her stomach. The teen began to push herself up, but the Harpy moved in for the attack. "No, you don't!" Dylan slashed at it with his sword. It shrieked, but closed its talons around Anne. "ACK!" Anne screamed, then yelled in pain as it started to squeeze. Dylan impaled the leg with his sword. "Let go of her!"

The Harpy shrieked and flew up into the air with them in its clutches. Anne screamed she struggled not to look down while Dylan clung onto his sword while it was still impaled in the leg. Suddenly, the Harpy let go of her and she was sent tumbling towards the ground below. Anne screamed as she fell. "NO!" Dylan gasped.

Riku's eyes widened and he reacted quickly, using Flowmotion to move towards the walls and launch himself off it and used another to propel himself towards her. The silver haired teen managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Riku set her down and went to attack the Harpy. Dylan desperately clung onto his sword to not fall off. "Little help here, please?!" he yelled down to Riku.

"On it!"

"Can you sprout wings?" Chase asked him.

"No. But I can do this!" Riku used Flowmotion again and launched himself at the Harpy with Way to Dawn ready to strike. He slashed at the wings, causing it to plummet to the ground. "It's open!" Riku called to them as he landed on the ground.

Jason charged with his Keyblade. "Payback time!" He whacked the Heartless in the face several times with his Keyblade. "Eat that!" he yelled at it before jumping back just in time to avoid a swipe. At that time, Dylan finally managed to pull his sword free. He ran away just in time as the Harpy pushed itself up. It began to flap its wings, creating high winds. Everyone braced themselves against the powerful wind, digging their feet into the ground in an attempt to keep themselves from being blown backwards. Clair remembered what Merlin taught her and casted Aero, which surprsingly managed to block most of the wind. The Harpy landed on the ground and readied its talons before lunging at them.

Sora remembered what the fairies told him about his new ability and activated it. Instantly, the orb he pulled out transformed into a giant teacup. "What the..." Jason began, but Sora jumped into it and had it spin around rapidly and surprisingly, managed to hit the Harpy's head and dealing damage. It shrieked and fell back, but Sora hit it again and again.

Jason, Chase, Anne, Dylan, and Clair stared in surprise. Were they really seeing this? Sora was using a _giant teacup_ to fight this thing?

"There's something you don't see every day." Lea muttered, scratching his head with his free hand. "You can say that again." Chase agreed.

A moment later, Sora jumped out of the teacup and it disappeared. The Harpy stumbled trying to regain its senses. Lea moved in for the attack and attacked its legs, making it fall on its stomach. It tried to slash at him, but Lea jumped out of the way to avoid it. Dylan moved in next and managed to attack the head with his sword. His sword surged with energy as he attacked. He was slightly surprised at how his sword glowed. "Whoa!" he gasped. He was even more surprised at what happened when his blade struck the monster. The head was surrounded by electricity and it screeched in pain, thrashing around.

"Dylan!" Anne gasped. "What the..." he breathed, but snapped out of it when the Harpy turned towards his way. "Uh oh!"

The Heartless knocked him back and he was sent tumbling several feet away from them. "Hey!" Chase snapped as he sped towards it, angered that it hurt his brother. The Harpy tried to grab him, but missed. He threw several punches at the Harpy's legs. "That's my brother!"

The Harpy simply kicked him away. "Chase!" Dylan exclaimed. Chase landed on his side with a groan. "Bad bird thing..." he muttered. Kairi snuck up on it from behind and attacked its legs, forcing it on its side. Clair charged in next. She gripped her Keyblade in her hands before bringing it down on the giant Heartless's head. As soon as she did, the screech of pain from the Harpy blasted her back.

Chase had recovered by then and caught her. Jason growled before rushing at the Harpy next and slashing at one of the wings, dealing some damage to the giant Heartless. However, he was knocked back as well.

Sora and Riku ran in together with Keyblades at the ready. "Let's go, Riku!"

"Yeah!"

The two used Flowmotion to come at the Harpy from opposite sides. The Heartless looked at them, unsure of who to attack. The two friends slashed in unison, catching it off guard. The Harpy shrieked in pain and fell on the ground. Anne charged forward gripping Way of the Ninja in her hands tightly. She then plunged her Keyblade deep into the face of the Heartless. It shrieked, then screeched even more when she yanked her Keyblade out. The Harpy shuddered uncontrollably, like it was having a seizure.

Anne stumbled backwards as the Harpy vanished into darkness and a crystal like heart floated up into the sky. "Whoa..." Anne panted before falling down. "Wow, nice one!" Sora praised.

"T-Thanks..."

Jason looked at the heart as it flew into the sky with slight surprise. "That... that was the first large Heartless I ever fought..." Kairi admitted. "There will be larger ones." Riku warned, earning a groan from Jason. "Seriously?!" he asked.

Sora then casted Cure on the injured ones, healing their wounds they gained from the fight. Hayner, Pence, and Olette came out of their hiding spots. "That was intense!" Pence said.

Jason shrugged. "At least it's gone." he muttered. Dylan nodded in agreement as he picked his sword back up. Riku glanced around them as they were recovering. Something seemed off...

"We kicked that monster's butt!" Chase gloated. "We rock!"

Riku ignored the chatter in the background and kept looking at their surroudings. His gaze then fell on the shadows... which seemed to be... moving. His aquamarine eyes widened. "It's not over." he realized. "Everyone!"

The group looked towards him. "What's up, Riku?" Sora questioned, raising an eyebrow. Riku got his Keyblade ready again. "Something's coming!"

Everyone's eyes widened as they looked to where he was glancing at. The shadow moved away from where it was... revealing that a SWARM of Shadow Heartless joined together!

Jason's eyes widened. "Oh..."

"Crap." Anne finished.

Sora's jaw dropped as they looked at the swarm. "T-That's never happened before!" he stammered with surprise. The swarm headed towards them.

"Incoming!" Donald warned. Sora gripped Kingdom Key in his hands tightly. "Get ready, guys!"

The swarm moved as if it were an ocean wave, smoothly flowing past them and into the air above them. Suddenly, the swarm of Shadows zipped towards them. Sora readied his Keyblade and attemped to block it. It worked, but he ended up getting pushed back. The others were knocked off their feet. Anne managed to recover first, shaking her head to clear it as she pushed herself up. The swarm flowed around as it prepared to attack again. Sora dodged it quickly.

Chase got up, only to be flattened again. "Somebody get that license plate number...?" he muttered dazedly. Jason tried slashing at the swarm of Heartless, but he got barreled over by them as well. "GAH!"

Chase sat up. "What'd I miss?" He got flattened by the Heartless again. "Aw, come on!"

Clair was trying to dodge the swarm and ended up bumping backs with Anne. The two jumped and nearly attacked each other, but calmed down seeing who it was and sighed with relief. "Crazy day?" Anne tried to joke. Clair nodded in agreement. "Very." she said.

Anne's eyes then widened. "DUCK!" she exclaimed as she shoved Clair down before diving down herself as the swarm swooped at them. Anne looked up. "That was way too close for comfort."

Hayner, Pence, and Olette were trying to get to safety. However, the Heartless swarm was coming for them! "LOOK OUT!" Dylan warned. He raced towards them, swinging his sword in an effort to disperse the Heartless, but was knocked against a building. Olette then tripped and landed on her stomach. Hayner and Pence went to help her up as the swarm approached them. When they noticed the oncoming Shadows, Hayner stood in front of Pence and Olette protectively. Anne tried to attack the swarm with a swing of her Keyblade, but did little damage. She ended up getting pushed back by it and was thrown against a wall. As she slid down it, she watched in horror as the swarm reached the trio.

Goofy acted quickly and threw his shield like a frisbee at the swarm. It bounced off it, but managed to throw it off their target. Lea attacked next by shooting a stream of fire from his Keyblade, hitting the main Shadows at the front of the swarm. Sora charged at the Shadows and jumped off a wall to propel himself towards them. He cut through the Heartless at the front like a hot knife through butter. The Heartless swarm was thrown off balance by this, allowing Clair to attack them by shooting a Fire spell at them. The swarm then flew up in the air, forming a circle. It then moved in for the attack as it flowed towards Chase, who used his super speed to run away. However, they chased him as he tried to flee them. "No! Stop! Stay away!"

Thanks to his speed, he managed to outrun them long enough for Sora to attack, which caused the Demon Tide to recoil. The gathered cluster of Heartless then flew up into the air before slamming themselves into the group, causing them to fly a few feet up into the air. The fighters yelled in pain as they were forced off the ground before landing on their sides or backs. Sora managed to recover first and hopped back up to his feet. "Come on!" he challenged the Heartless.

Riku recovered next and joined his friend. Chase got up, stumbling a bit as he shook his head. "Anyone get the license plate of that freight train?" he mumbled to no one in particular. Jason stumbled up to his feet next. "Lemme at 'em. Lemme at 'em." he muttered dazedly as he swung his Keyblade a bit. "Where are they?"

He suddenly got flattened again by the swarm. Anne managed to dodge by diving out of the way. "Whoa!"

Dylan sliced at the swarm and surprisingly managed to destroy at least three Shadows within it. As he did this, Anne was helping Clair back up to her feet. Kairi stood by Lea's side as they got ready when the swarm began to turn towards their direction. "So, you want some of this?" Lea smirked as he swung his Keyblade. "EAT FIRE!" He shot a large fireball at the front of the swarm, destroying at least two with the flames. "Hey, Kairi! Wanna take a few?!" he called to the redhead. Kairi nodded before she attacked the swarm with a Thunder spell, managing to stun a few.

Anne was beginning to grow frustrated by the swarm, so she gripped her Keyblade and charged in, determined to take at least a few down. However, the Demon Tide met her with a counterattack by ramming into her, sending her reeling backwards. She ended up rolling a bit before she crashed against a wall. The teenager grunted upon the impact and winced. A hand was offered to her and she looked up to see Dylan as he helped her up. "I got you." he told her as Anne stumbled a bit upon getting back up.

Meanwhile, Sora stared at the flocking swarm as it slithered about the area with a constant cloud of darkness surrounding them. The swarm was rather strong as one, but... wait!

"Guys! I got an idea!" he called. "What is it?" Donald asked his longtime friend. "We need to take out the Shadows one by one! They're strong together as a swarm, but if we pick them off, we'll be able to defeat it more easily!" Sora explained.

"Great idea, Sora!" Riku nodded as he readied his Keyblade, glancing back at the new fighters stumbling around trying to regain their senses. "You guys ready?"

Jason staggered a bit. "Yeah..." he nodded, shaking his head to clear it. "Let's get 'em!" Donald declared as he got shot a Fire spell at the swarm. This dealt some damage to two at the front. "Thunder!" Dylan exclaimed, shooting the lightning bolts at the Shadows. At least three vanished into darkness upon impact. Goofy tossed his shield and it spun around like a boomerang as it hit at least two Heartless, taking them out before returning to him. Clair shot Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder spells in succession at five Heartless, making them vanish one by one. Chase ran circles around them to confuse the Heartless before kicking one in the face. "Keep thinning them out!" Lea called as he incinerated one.

Jason charged in with his Keyblade once he recovered. "Now you're going to get it, you shadow blobs!"

With that, he let out a yell and slashed through one in the swarm before jabbing another with his Keyblade. "Save some for the rest of us!" Anne yelled before she ran past him and attacked a Heartless, but then she was knocked backwards from a ramming attack. Goofy managed to catch her and help her regain her balance. "You okay?" the Captain of the King's guard inquired. "Y-yeah..." Anne winced a bit, rolling her shoulder.

"Come on!" Donald exclaimed as he charged forward. The duck then zapped three Heartless with a Thundara spell, which made them twitch violently before they vanished into darkness. "We're beating them!" Chase said excitedly.

"Don't go celebrating yet. There's still more to take down." Riku warned before attacking the swarm. Kairi nodded before she swung Destiny's Embrace, hitting a Shadow and destroying it. Sora leaped in with his Keyblade held over his head before bringing it down on a Shadow in the front. "Keep going, guys!"

Jason growled and attacked two more with a swing. "How do ya like that?!"

However, he was attacked from behind. The walnut brown haired boy winced and got to his feet. "That all you got?!"

Dylan frowned with frustration as he readjusted his grip on his sword. "Just how many more are there?" he asked as he paused to look at the swarm. Chase started to count the Heartless. "Um... about... eleven? Thirteen?" he guessed. Sora narrowed his blue eyes and looked for an opening. "Aha!" He then used Flowmotion to sneak behind the remaining Shadows. Anne rose an eyebrow. What was he up to?

"Take this!" he exclaimed as he shot a large fireball at the swarm. "Fira!"

As the fire spell hit the Shadows, it burned through the remainder of them. Any stragglers were quickly disposed of by the flickering flames. Anne's jaw dropped at the move as the Shadows vanished into wisps of darkness. "W-Whoa..."

Sora landed on the ground and smiled. "That takes care of that." he remarked, casting Cure on the injured before dismissing his Keyblade. Chase shook his head. "Man, that was tough!"

"I didn't know Heartless could do that..." Clair panted as she felt her strength return. "Neither did I." Riku admitted. "It appears that they've gained some new skills during the time we haven't faced them."

Chase gulped. "Meaning what?"

"That they are stronger than what we've seen before. And they could have other surprises up their sleeves." Riku summed up.

The goofier of the two brothers paled. Dylan looked at his brother as he sheathed his sword. "Chicken?" he teased. "What? No!" Chase shook his head.

Jason humphed. "I've seen scarier things in my school textfile."

"You don't even look at your school textfile." Clair deadpanned.

"Exactly."

At this, Hayner, Olette, and Pence came out of hiding. "Whoa..." Olette managed to breathe out, trying to recover from the events they just witnessed. "What was that thing?!" Hayner asked, shocked by what the group had faced. Riku dismissed his Keyblade and crossed his arms. "A swarm of Shadows moving together. That's never happened before." he explained.

"Yeah. Talk about freaky with a capital F." Lea added with a nod.

"I've seen a lot of weird things lately, but this one takes the cake." Pence remarked. Chase's stomach rumbled. "Uh, could we not talk about food?" he suggested, earning a couple chuckles from most of the group.

Suddenly, a strange noise was heard, followed by a flashing light. Clair, Anne, Jason, Chase, and Dylan jumped upon seeing a keyhole shape in the sky. "W-What is that?!" Anne asked. "The Keyhole!" Donald gasped.

Sora simply summoned his Keyblade again and pointed it at the Keyhole. A beam of light then shot out of the Keyblade and into the Keyhole. A click was heard before the Keyhole vanished in a flash of light. "What was that about?" Jason questioned. "A new pathway has opened for us somewhere." Sora explained. "Which means its time for us to go." Donald added. "You know, to make sure that those things don't attack more people."

"But you guys just got here..." Hayner groaned. "Don't worry. We'll be back soon." Goofy reassured him with his trademark silly smile. "Well... good luck with whatever you're gonna fight. I hope everything will work out for you guys." Olette told them sincerely.

"Thanks, Olette." Kairi smiled. "It was nice to see you guys again."

"Hope we can chat again sometime soon!" Pence said to the five newest fighters. Jason just looked away.

"Well, we're off!" Sora said as he turned on his heel and began to leave with his teammates following shortly after. However, he couldn't help but think... how could the Heartless do that now? The Shadows couldn't do that back then...

How did these ones, the most basic of the Heartless, suddenly gain a powerful ability? Was Xehanort behind this, a part of his insane plans?

* * *

However, as the Keybearers departed ways with the Twilight Town trio and headed to leave... they were unaware of a figure in a black hooded coat standing atop a building, having watched the entire exchange with the Harpy and the swarm. The figure's face was obscured by the hood, further adding suspense to the identity.

"Interesting... they can take on these Heartless and are still standing... And these new wielders of the Keyblade... they'll be rather interesting to observe. I must report this to Lord Xehanort." the figure mused.

With that, the cloaked person wordlessly opened up a Dark Portal and walked into the dark depths of it with the passage vanishing in a dark wisp shortly after, leaving the residents unaware of the recent departure.


	10. Mome Raths Outgrabe

Elsewhere, a dark portal had opened up and Nash stumbled out of it. The teenager yelled in surprise as he tripped on his feet and he landed on his stomach in the grass.

He winced and opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself up, glancing around at his new surroundings. Nash could see several buildings nearby, but they didn't look anything like the kinds back at home.

"Aw, come on! Where am I now?!" he groaned out loud.

* * *

In the Gummi Ship, Anne was resting in her chair with her headphones once again over her ears. That fight with the Harpy and that swarm was rough, so they would need this rest. Her eyes were closed as she tried to relax.

Chase, on the other hand, was blabbering away about the Heartless they faced. "That Harpy was so intense! I thought you'd only see something that ugly in a nightmare or an anime." He was saying. "And that swarm! It was like a living wave. If only I had a surfboard. I would've been hanging ten on it."

Jason was covering his ears in annoyance. He was tired and did not want to listen to this. "Anyone have earplugs?" he asked. "Nope." Clair replied casually as she kept reading out of one of the books she was given. Jason groaned at this and slumped down in his seat.

"And the way that Sora just bounced off the walls was SWEET!" Chase continued. Jason felt like grabbing one of Clair's books and banging his head against it. "Someone make him shut up before I toss him out the airlock!" he snapped. Dylan glared at him for that. "What? He was annoying me!" Jason defended. "You throw my brother out of an airlock and I'll give you a showdown." Dylan scowled.

Jason scoffed. "I'd like to see you try."

Dylan got out of his seat. "Then let's go. You and me."

"Guys, no..." Sora tried to calm things down. "Stay out of this." Jason got to his feet, but Riku got between them. "No fighting!"

"He started it!"

"We are a team, so you'll have to learn to get along, whether you like it or not!"

Jason just humphed and looked away. Clair looked up from her book casually. "Jace, don't be rude."

Her cousin was about to reply, but was cut off by the monitor beeping. Everyone looked at it, except for Anne. She was still into her music as she nodded her head along to the music that flowed into her ears. Donald looked at it, then smiled. "New world coming up, guys!" he annouced to the group as the mage piloted the Gummi Ship towards the world. "Do you know which world it is?" Riku questioned. Donald checked the monitor again, then groaned. "It's Wonderland..."

Clair rose an eyebrow, closing her book and setting it back in her bag. "Wonderland?" she questioned. Sora glanced over his shoulder at the teenager as he headed towards the Gummi Ship's exit. "It's a really confusing world." he explained. Anne was unaware of the group about to leave, as she was still mouthing the words along to the song. Clair seemed to notice and nudged Anne, gaining her attention. "Hm?" Anne asked as she took her headphones off her ears.

"We've landed on a new world, apparently." Clair said. "Let me warn you, it's weird." Sora added as Anne got out of her seat.

"Because a talking duck and dog thing and fighting shadow monsters with giant keys is perfectly normal." Jason commented sarcastically.

Clair rolled her eyes at her cousin as they headed to the platform while it slowly opened up. Kairi was the first to step out with the others following them, but Anne paused as she looked down and saw... that there was no ground below them.

"Aw, not again...!" Donald quacked before the group plummeted downwards screaming. Anne shut her eyes tightly, thinking they were about to die, when they suddenly started to float downwards gently. "Huh...?" Anne looked around with fear. "W-What's going on?!"

"We're floating!" Chase answered as he did a back flip.

Kairi had been the first to fall. "Falling off a tree is nothing compared to this." she commented. There were many strange things they saw on their way down. They passed several pieces of furniture floating in the air, including a mirror that showed their reflections going in the opposite direction, much to their confusion. Clair pulled a book off a bookshelf that levitated past her, but it had only pictures in it. Jason ended up floating upside down as he looked at a picture of something that happened to be upside down as well.

"Could someone let me know when the weirdness en-ow!" He ended up getting smacked on his head by a lamp. "You okay, Jace?" Clair asked, letting go of the book. Jason groaned quietly. "Yeah, I'm good. And don't call me that!"

Clair just smiled at her cousin's reaction. Goofy relaxed and folded his arms behind his head as if he was on a bed. "I can't decide if I want gravity normal or not." Anne spoke up as she tried not to look down. Riku crossed his arms as he glanced up at the items floating ahead. This was... probably one of the strangest things he's seen so far. Lea crossed his legs and relaxed, enjoying the slow ride down. Dylan, however, ended up floating around in somersaults. "I think I'm gonna be sick..." Dylan groaned out. "I can't stop spinning!"

Suddenly, the gravity appeared to come back on as they landed on the floor with a thud. Most of them grunted upon landing. Chase had ended up landing atop his brother. "Chase, get off me!" Dylan groaned as the two struggled to get up. Anne tried to get back up, but something bounced off her head, forcing her back down. "Ow!"

It also bounced off of Jason and Donald's heads before running off. "Oh my fur and whiskers! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"

Much to their surprise, they saw a white rabbit in a red jacket over a yellow waistcoat with gray pants hopping away. "What the..." Jason trailed off. The rabbit scurried down a hall frantically, paying no attention to the group in a dog pile.

"... What just happened?" Anne asked after a moment, voicing everyone's thoughts. Sora managed to sit up. "Was that the White Rabbit?" he questioned. "What's he late for this time?" Donald wondered out loud as he crawled out from under Goofy. "Let's follow him!" Goofy said. Chase was about to ask why, but Sora had already gotten up and was in the lead. "Huh? W-Wait up!" Dylan exclaimed as the rest of the group scrambled up to their feet, running after the red, gray, and black clad teen.

However, they screeched to a halt when they came across a door at the end of the hallway. Sora opened the door, but paused as he saw another one. "Huh...?" He opened this door, but yet again, there was another door, but smaller than the last one. Didn't this happen the last time he was here? "You have got to be kidding me." Jason frowned with annoyance. Sora opened the doors one by one, each revealed to be smaller than the last, until it finally revealed a small, square door big enough to squeeze through. Kairi just stared with an eyebrow raised in confusion, but Sora got down on all fours and crawled through it, managing to get through.

He looked around and saw the same light purple and pink walls and checkered floor. One one side was an empty fireplace and by the wall opposite of it, it had two red chairs propped against it. The most notible thing in the room was a white table with a red bottle and a blue bottle on it. He knelt down and peered through the doorway. "It's good, guys! You can come in."

"You expect us to fit in that?" Jason asked. Anne rolled her eyes before she walked past him, got down on all fours, and started to crawl through the doorway. She had a bit of difficulty, though, as she was not used to crawling through this as Sora was. Sora helped her through and back up to her feet. She glanced around the bizarre room with confusion. As she did, Jason started to crawl through the small door. He had a bit of trouble though, due to the mini-sized door. "Need help?" Anne smirked.

"No." Jason scoffed as he attempted to pull himself out. "You sure?" Anne smirked again. "Yes, I'm sure!" Jason struggled to get himself through the tiny frame.

On the other side, Chase was struggling to keep a straight face. "Looks like you're stuck." He dodged a kick from the teenager's boot.

Clair shook her head and approached her cousin. "Jason, you're stuck." she deadpanned.

"I am not!" Jason insisted as he struggled. Clair sighed before she placed her foot on his butt and began pushing.

"Ow! What are you doing?!"

"Trying to get you through!" She kept pushing her cousin, but to no avail.

Chase stood watching, failing to keep himself from laughing. However, when he looked at his brother, a light bulb went off in his head. Dylan frowned when he saw the expression on his face. "What are you thinking about?"

"Bro, I need to borrow this real quick." Chase ran and pulled the sword from its sheath. Dylan tried to grab it back, but Chase was too fast. He approached Jason and poked him with the end of the blade.

"YEOW!" That did the trick. The energy Jason got from being poked was enough to pull himself through the door. Anne burst into laughter at the sight of Jason hopping up to his feet after that.

"WHO DID THAT?! WHO DID THAT?!"

Clair squirmed through the door next. "This is a tight space..." she commented as Sora helped her out. Dylan passed his sword through to make passing through the door easier. Jason glared at him as he came through. Dylan merely shrugged. "Don't glare at me."

Chase pulled himself through next. He paled when he saw Jason's expression. "It worked, didn't it?"

"THAT WAS YOU?!" Jason exclaimed while Kairi pulled herself through next.

"... well, at least it got you through, right?" Chase smiled sheepishly. Jason just grumbled while Lea pulled himself through the door next. The pyro looked at the door. "That thing is tiny."

"I forgot how small it was..." Donald commented while Goofy crawled through next, but he got stuck. "Uh oh... help?"

Sora, Kairi, and Dylan each took his hands and together, they pulled him through. Clair looked around. "So where'd the rabbit go?"

"Probably through that door." Dylan pointed to the door on the other side of the room.

Jason groaned at the sight of it. "Let's just get this over with." he said as he walked over to it and grabbed the doorknob.

"D'OH!" A sudden cry of pain pierced the air. The five new ones yelled in surprise and Jason let go of the doorknob. It was the doorknob that yelled!

Clair stuttered for words. She never met a doorknob that talked back, and had no idea what to say. What ended up coming out of her mouth was, "W-We're sorry. We didn't mean to hurt you..."

"Quite all right." The Doorknob said. "You gave me quite a turn." The Doorknob then smiled. "Quite a good one eh? Doorknob? Turn? Well, one good turn deserves another. What can I do for you?"

"Well... could you let us through?" Chase questioned. "We saw a white rabbit go this way."

The Doorknob opened his mouth. Anne peeked through it. "There he is!" she noted. The White Rabbit was hopping away through what appeared to be a forest.

"Where could he be off to this time?" Donald questioned as he peered through it as well. "Does it matter?" Jason asked.

Dylan ignored Jason's comment. "Can you let us through?"

"Sorry. You're much too big. Simply impassible."

"You mean impossible." Kairi corrected the Doorknob.

"No, impassible. Nothing's impossible." the Doorknob countered. "Can't we just crawl through?" Chase inquired him. "Why don't you try the bottle on the table?" the Doorknob sugggested, gesturing to the table. They all looked back, seeing the two bottles on the table. "Which one?" Kairi questioned. "Read the directions and immediately you'll be directed in the right direction." The Doorknob instructed.

Clair picked one up. "It just says 'Drink Me.'"

Riku looked at the bottle. "Wait, wait, wait. You want __us__ to drink out of a random bottle?" Anne asked suspiciously. "Yeah. What if it's poison?" Chase asked. Jason crossed his arms before he took the bottle and examined it for a moment before he drank it. "Hmm..."

"What is it?" Clair asked.

"Tastes like... I don't know, but it's interesting."

Clair then took a sip. "Tastes like a mixture of cherry tart, custard, pineapple... a little bit of ice cream... roast turkey... whoa!"

Much to Anne, Chase, and Dylan's shock, Jason and Clair SHRUNK!

"What happened?!" Jason asked in horror as he looked up at the group.

The Doorknob laughed. "You almost went out like a light."

Anne screamed and jumped away. "THEY SHRANK!"

"That's how we're going to get through that door?" Kairi asked, trying to get over the surprise. "Yep!" Sora replied as he took the bottle. Anne shook her head. "Oh no. NO WAY I'm drinkin' that!"

Sora just shrugged as he took a sip. "Suit yourself." he told her before he shrank down to the same size as Clair and Jason. Anne just stared in shock as she simply stood there. Chase shrugged and took the bottle next. "Cheers." he said as he drunk from it. A few seconds later, he shrunk down as well. Thankfully, their clothes shrank down with them. Kairi took the bottle and shrunk down next. Lea followed shortly after, as well as Riku. Dylan took it next. "It'll be okay." Dylan assured Anne as he drank and grew smaller. Goofy and Donald drank after him and they shrank down. Anne looked at the group, then at the bottle, then let out a sigh. "I'm gonna regret this, I know it..." she muttered before taking a sip from it.

She rose an eyebrow. It tasted... interesting. Like how Clair described. She didn't even notice she was shrinking, but when she did, she noticed the table getting higher. "WHOA!"

"There you go! Now you're the right size!" the Doorknob said as if this happened every day. Anne walked over and tried to open it, but the door remained firmly shut. "Why won't you open?"

"Oops. I forgot to tell you. I'm locked!"

"You might've mentioned that a bit sooner!" Jason said.

Donald groaned. "Oh, come on!"

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Lea asked. Jason growled with annoyance.

"Forgive me, but I'm quite forgetful. However, there is another door your size that way." the Doorknob gestured to a doorway nearby. "Why didn't you tell us that before?!" Jason asked.

"You didn't ask." the Doorknob replied simply before he yawned. Sora groaned and shook his head. "Come on, guys... this happened last time we were here. We need to go through that door." Sora pointed to the one the Doorknob mentioned. "Why?" Chase questioned.

"It's the only way to get in right now." Sora replied as he headed towards the doorway. The group exchanged looks before they followed him. When they exited, they were rather surprised to find a bright blue sky, as well as a clearing with hedges and heart shaped arches that led to many different directions around them. "Well, this seems familiar." Sora commented with a smile as he looked around. Dylan was surprised at the area around them. First, the room, and now this?

Up ahead, they saw the White Rabbit checking his golden watch. His eyes widened and he let out a yelp. "Oh my fur and whiskers! I'm so very late! She'll have my head!" he panicked before running through one of the arches. "There he is!" Donald pointed at the direction he went. "Let's follow him!"

"Why?" Jason questioned.

"Well, there might be something important at wherever he's heading off to!" Sora replied without missing a beat before he headed towards the arch. "Huh? Sora, wait up!" Kairi called as she and the rest ran after the eager teen.

* * *

Surprisingly, after they headed through the tunnel like arch, they found themselves in some sort of forest with oddly shaped trees, strange looking flowers, and large mushrooms surrounding them. However, there was no sight of the White Rabbit anywhere.

"Any more bright ideas?" Jason asked Sora with a frown. "Play leapfrog on the lily pads?" Chase joked, looking at some lily pads. Dylan and Anne elbowed him for that. Just then, several Heartless materialized in front of them, gaining their attention. "Looks like we got some company!" Sora warned as he summoned his Keyblade.

Jason got his Keyblade ready as well. "They don't look so tough..." he declared. Right after he said that, he got attacked by one of them. "GAH!" he exclaimed, stumbling back. Clair got her Keyblade ready and quickly fired a Fire spell at a Blue Rhapsody.

It immediately was destroyed, releasing the heart.

Dylan unsheathed his sword. "Chase... think you can make a distraction?"

Chase grinned. "You know me, bro." he replied before he sped off. Moments later, a Soldier Heartless was kicked forward by a blur. "Eat this!" Dylan slashed at it with his sword, unknowningly adding a bit of lightning to the attack and electrocuting the Heartless. It, too, vanished into darkness as the heart was freed and floated away.

Jason charged at a Large Body and attacked it, only for his Keyblade to bounce off an invisible shield. It was then he remembered that its weak spot was behind it. However, the Large Body still ran him over. He was sent tumbling backwards into Anne and they both landed on the ground. "I hate that thing!" Jason groaned. "So do I." Anne grumbled as it charged again. Anne and Jason dived out of the way and the Large Body crashed into a tree instead. "HA!" Jason smirked before he ran behind it and slashed at its back. That did quite a bit of damage to it. Riku finished it off with a Fira and the heart was released, but noticed Clair was surrounded by Blue Rhapsodies.

Clair's eyes widened as she dodged a blizzard attack. Another one, a Yellow Opera, floated towards her as it attempted to attack her with a Thunder attack. "No, you don't!" Lea slashed at it, causing it to burn. The others then rushed in to help Clair. "Back off!" Jason growled as he slashed through a Blue Rhapsody. Anne ended up facing down a Red Nocturne. Trying to focus, she shot a Blizzard attack at the floating Heartless, effectively freezing it. Anne sliced through it, destroying it and releasing another heart.

However, there were still several left. Goofy threw his shield at a few, dealing a bit of damage. Kairi also attacked one, finsihing it off. Anne also jabbed her Keyblade into one, destroying a Blue Rhapsody.

Clair then fired a Plasma Bolt, but unfortunately, it hit a Yellow Opera and it surged with electricity shortly after. "Uh... I think that's bad!" Anne warned Clair. However, the Yellow Opera sent out a powerful thunder spell. This time, the lightning was much stronger and the rest cried out in pain as they were hit. Donald cringed and casted Cure on the group and himself. "Don't use electricity on the yellow ones! Got it memorized?!" Lea called.

"Got it!" Anne sliced through one. Clair shot a Fire spell at the Yellow Opera, hitting it with the flames and burning it. She sliced through it once it was immobilized and destroyed it. Goofy then rammed his shield into one of the last Yellow Operas, destroying it. "Take that!" he exclaimed.

Donald finished off the last Yellow Opera with a Fire spell. Lea shot a fireball from the tip of his Keyblade at a Blue Rhapsody, burning the ice using Heartless. It was then Jason noticed two green Heartless the same shape as the Nocturnes, Rhaposdies, and Operas appear and begin to float around the remaining Heartless. Chase's jaw dropped when he saw the other Heartless being healed. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Green Requiems!" Donald warned them. "This kind can heal other Heartless!"

"Then we'll have to take out the green ones first." Dylan said before charging at one of the Green Requiems. He slashed at it, but it floated out of the way. Kairi attempted to attack, but the Heartless floated away, as if to taunt them. Riku did a dodge roll before he bounced off a tree with Flowmotion, sneaking up on the Green Requiem and attacked it from behind. The Heartless shuddered a bit before vanishing in a dark purple and black cloud with a heart floating out of it. "One down!"

Anne jumped up and attempted to swipe at the remaining Green Requiem, but it floated out of her reach. However, it made the mistake of floating towards Jason with its back turned. Jason slashed it from behind three times, effectively destroying it. Now, there were only three Heartless left.

Lea quickly dispatched a Blue Rhapsody with ease. A Soldier moved around erratically as it attempted to kick Chase, but Chase sped out of the way. "Missed me!" he taunted before he kicked it in the back where it was vunerable. The Soldier stumbled forward and nearly fell on its face, but Dylan slashed at it twice before finishing it off by bringing his sword down on its body. It twitched with electricity surrounding it before he disappeared into a dark cloud.

Sora snuck up behind a Red Nocturne, slashing at it twice. "It's over!" he exclaimed before shooting a Blizzard spell at it, freezing it in a block of ice. The teen sliced through it, finishing the last Heartless in the area off.

Seeing there were none left, the group panted slightly. "Is... is that the last of them?" Dylan questioned as he hunched over while resting.

"I... think so." Goofy replied.

"There was... so many of them..." Dylan added. "There will be more to come." Riku warned them as they recovered. "You guys good?" Sora questioned. Chase gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, let's get movin'." he replied.

The group headed down a path that led out of the clearing, but they paused seeing several paths leading off in different directions. There were __many__ signs nailed to the trees pointing random ways, making the group stop to examine them. They read 'this way', 'that way', 'up', 'down', 'left', 'right', 'yonder', and so on.

"Great..." Anne deadpanned, placing a hand on her hip. "Which way?"

Sora glanced around the area. "Um... hehe, no clue."

Jason frowned and crossed his arms. Before anyone could say anything else, the sound of singing filled the air. However, it seemed to come from all directions around the group.

 _ _"... twas brillig and the slithy todes__

 _ _Did gyre and gymble in the wabe__

 _ _All mimsy were the borogoves__

 _ _And the mome raths out grabe..."__

The fighters looked around for the source of the singing. Just then, Clair let out a scream and jumped. "Up in that tree!"

Anne, Kairi, and Chase looked in the direction she was pointing and they screamed as well. Above a branch was a wide grin hovering in middair with no face. Sora jumped a little, but then slowly relaxed when he recognized just who the grin belonged to. "It's the Cheshire Cat..." he noted.

Much to the rest of the group's surprise, a pink and purple cat slowly appeared out of thin air with the smile attached to his face.

Dylan's jaw dropped. "Did... did that cat just pop out of nowhere?!" he asked incredulously. "Why, yes I did!" the Cheshire Cat replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Donald groaned and shook his head. "Aw, not him again..." he muttered to himself. "Hello to you, too." Cheshire Cat grinned as he used his tail to take the top of his head off like a hat, which creeped most of them out.

"Could you not do that? Please?" Chase requested. "You'll give me nightmares."

"Oh, no I won't." The Cheshire Cat grinned. "I don't have any to give."

"Who or what is that?!" Anne asked. "Oh, it's the Cheshire Cat." Goofy replied. "He's pretty weird." Sora told her as the cat then resumed his strange song as he wiped his tail in front of him as he started to disappear. "Hey, where are you going?" Riku asked, getting him to stop.

"Where I want to go." the Cheshire Cat replied.

"Have you seen anything suspicious?" Riku questioned.

"That depends on who or what you are suspicious of. Do you know?"

"We... don't know." Sora admitted. "Then I haven't seen anything suspicious." the grinning cat told them. "But if you want to search, I suggest you go that way." he said as he pointed in two different directions. "Which way's right?" Anne asked.

"Maybe both ways are wrong." the Cheshire Cat replied with a smile. "You're not making any sense." Dylan deadpanned. The Cheshire Cat just grinned. "Any sense is no sense here." he told them.

"You'd better start making sense or I'll..." Jason started.

The Cheshire Cat suddenly appeared on his head. "You'll what?" he questioned.

"GAH!"

Jason tried to grab him, but the cat suddenly vanished and he ended up hitting himself in the face. The cat reappeared on Anne's shoulder and tried to pick up her headphones. "Very interesting... mind if I take them?"

She jumped with surprise. "Get off me! Don't touch my headphones!" Anne exclaimed as she tried to swipe him off, only for the Cheshire Cat to leap off and disappear. He appeared on Clair's shoulder, causing her to yelp in surprise and try to get him off before he vanished again. Footprints then appeared around Anne in a strange fashion as they could hear the Cat humming his strange song again. The group's eyes widened as they wondered how that was even possible while the Cheshire Cat leapt up and reappeared on a tree. "Oh, by the way, if you'd really like to know... he went that way."

"Who?" Donald questioned.

"The White Rabbit." the Cheshie Cat replied.

"He did?" Goofy asked.

"Did what?" the Cheshire Cat smirked.

"Went that way." Lea said.

"Who did?"

"The White Rabbit!" Anne stated with a bit of annoyance.

"What rabbit?" the Cheshire Cat asked as he used his paws as hands to shrug while he folded his front paws behind his head. Jason growled. "The one you were just telling us about, you crazy furball!"

The cat then casually took his head off his body and stood on it like a circus ball. "Can you stand on your head?" he asked them randomly. Anne grabbed her mouth while Chase ran off. Clair let out a yell of shock as Dylan had a disgusted expression. Lea looked like he was ready to knock himself out at that. Riku just had a disturbed expression. "I don't think I can get that image out of my head anytime soon." Dylan muttered. Chase then came back wiping his mouth. However, one look at the Cheshire Cat made him run off again.

The Cheshire Cat casually put his head back in place before appearing on Dylan's shoulder leaning on his head. Dylan tried to swipe him off, only for him to vanish and reappear by Donald. Donald tried to hit him with his staff, only for the cat to disappear. Anne was beginning to grow annoyed at this. "Will you stop it?!" she snapped. The Cheshire Cat then casually got back up into the tree. "Well, if I were looking for a White Rabbit, perhaps I'd ask the Mad Hatter."

"Mad Hatter?" Anne asked. Sora just shrugged. "Never heard of him."

"He's simply MAD!" the Cheshire Cat laughed.

"Yeah, I'm not okay with going around crazy folk. So, bye." Lea tried to leave. "There's always the March Hare in that direction." The Cheshire Cat pointed another way. "Of course, he's also mad." he added.

Chase gulped. "Is there anywhere in Wonderland we can go where the people aren't crazy?"

"Nope. Mostly everyone here's mad." the cat grinned. "Well, that's just great." Dylan muttered, shaking his head. "Come on." Jason grumbled. "Let's just get out of here."

"I'm with you." Anne muttered.

They both looked back, but there were paths going everywhere. "Uh... on second thought..."

"Which way to the Mad Hatter's?" Kairi questioned.

"In that direction." The Cheshire Cat replied before he vanished and appeared on Anne's head with a wide grin and mischievous look. Anne's eye twitched before she tried to snatch him, but he was too fast and disappeared once again. Anne groaned. "Come on, let's go..." she muttered as she tried to leave, but something stopped her. She looked down and saw the Cheshire Cat holding her ankles in place looking up at her with a teasing grin.

"YOU LITTLE TROLL!" she snapped.

Anne lunged down and tried to grab him, but the cat disappeared and she landed on her face. "Ow!" she groaned before pushing herself back to her feet and glared at the grinning feline. "I hate that cat."

"Ditto..." Jason grumbled.

The Cheshire Cat just laughed as he disappeared slowly. First his body vanished, then his face and eyes, and finally his smile. __"And the mome raths outgrabe~!"__

Clair shuddered. "That was disturbing in all capital letters." she muttered to herself. "Couldn't agree more..." Lea nodded. Anne grumbled and dusted herself off. "If I see that cat again, I'll-"

"Okay, let's go." Sora quickly cut her off. The others agreed and quickly headed down the path the Cheshire Cat pointed them towards. Sora inwardly hoped that the Cheshire Cat wasn't pointing them on a wild goose chase again like the last time.

* * *

The path twisted a bit, but it eventually led them away from the other confusing paths. As they walked, they saw many strange creatures.

Riku ducked as an oddly shaped bird flew by. "Was that an owl?" Chase questioned.

Anne squinted her eyes as she tried to get a glimpse of it as it flew away. "Looked like it had an accordian for a neck..." she noted.

Goofy then paused as his ears picked up something. It sounded like... singing?"

"Hey, do you fellas hear that?" he asked. The group paused for a moment and listened closely, picking up the singing. "Yeah..." Sora nodded as he started to walk towards the direction of the singing.

Eventually, they found an oddly shaped house where the singing seemed to be coming from. "You think this is the place that cat told us about?" Dylan questioned.

"Only one way to find out." Donald answered before they headed towards the gate and entered the yard. To their surprise, they saw a long table with many chairs surrounding it. Atop the table were several teapots whistling a tune as they blew out steam. Through the steam, they could faintly see two figures. One appeared to be a man wearing a large hat while the other was a brown hare wearing an orange jacket with a bowtie. This had to be the Mad Hatter and the March Hare!

However, the group had a bit of trouble seeing thanks to the steam, so Sora, Kairi, Anne, Donald, and Clair knelt down and peered through some handles as the March Hare and Mad Hatter sang.

 _ _"A... very merry unbirthday to me!"__ the March Hare sang.

"To who?" the Mad Hatter questioned.

 _ _"To me!"__

"Oh, you!"

 _ _"A very merry unbirthday to you!"__

"Who, me?"

 _ _"Yes, you!"__

"Oh, me!"

 _ _"Let's all congratulate us with another cup of tea!__

 _ _A very merry unbirthday to... you!"__ the March Hare finished as he, the Mad Hatter, and a tired looking mouse dressed in a tiny coat each took a top hat and waved it.

Anne rose an eyebrow at the odd song. __'Unbirthday?'__ she thought to herself. __'What the heck's an unbirthday?'__

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Kairi calling, "Excuse me?"

The Mad Hatter and March Hare froze and their eyes widened before they set down their teacups and ran over to them. "No room! No room! No room!"

Sora rose an eyebrow at this exclaimation. "What do you mean? There's plenty of room here."

"Look, first, there's lots of space. Second, we're not interested in your tea party." Jason told them. "What? How rude!" the March Hare frowned.

"I'll say it's rude! It's very, very rude, indeed!" the Mad Hatter saiagreedd.

"Sorry about my cousin. Jason's not big on manners." Clair apologized to them. "But have you seen anything rather suspicious around here?"

"Hm, I don't think so. Say, would you like a cup of tea?" the Mad Hatter asked.

"No thanks, we're kind of looking for something. Have you seen anything strange around here?" Riku inquired. "Well, stranger."

The Mad Hatter seemed to ponder about it for a moment as he took a tea kettle and poured it, but surprisingly, a plate came out of it, then a cup, and then tea, which landed in the cup. "Now that I think about it, I think there was some sort of thing near Tulgy Wood."

"Thank you. We're sorry we interrupted your birthday party-"

"Birthday? This is not a birthday party!" The March Hare corrected before sipping some tea.

The Mad Hatter laughed and set his tea cup down. "Don't be silly. This is an unbirthday party!"

"UNbirthday?" Chase questioned as he looked at Sora, who just shrugged with the same confused expression. "No idea what they're talkin' about."

"Well, it's really quite simple. Now, thirty days, half..." the March Hare paused and thought about it. "No... if you have a birthday, then... hehe, you don't know what an unbirthday is!" the March Hare chuckled. "Well, let us explain." the Mad Hatter began. The March Hare then conducted a group of teapots with a spoon as they whistled, creating a tune.

 _ _"Now statistics prove that you've one birthday,"__ The Mad Hatter started.

 _ _"Imagine, just one every year."__ The March Hare added.

 _ _"But there are three-hundred-sixty-four unbirthdays!"__

 _ _"Precisely why we're gathered here to cheer!"__

"So... An unbirthday is any day that's not your birthday." Lea summarized. "Exactly!" the Mad Hatter chortled as he sipped some tea. "But that makes today my unbirthday!" Chase said with excitement. Dylan gave his brother a deadpan expression. "Seriously?" he questioned.

"It is?" asked the March Hare.

"What a small world." the Mad Hatter chuckled.

"In that case..." the March Hare grinned before he and the Hatter leapt over to Chase. __"A very merry unbirthday!"__

"To me?"

 _ _"To you!"__ the March Hare nodded as the Mad Hatter took his hat off, revealing a large cake. __"A very merry unbirthday!"__

"For me?" Chase asked as the cake was given to him.

 _ _"For you! Now blow the candle out, my boy, and make your wish come true!"__ the Hatter told him. Chase blew out the candles and much to his and the group's surprise, the cake shot up into the sky, turning into a firework as the cake exploded.

 _ _"A very merry unbirthday to you!"__ the Hare and Hatter sang.

"That... was AWESOME!" Chase grinned.

"Yeah... can we get to this Tulgy Wood place now?" Jason asked impatiently. "Sit down! You should have some tea, first!" the Mad Hatter insisted. "We don't have..." Jason started to say, but was cut off when the two pulled the group to the table. Each of them took a seat and a cup. "Uh, thank you, but we really need to keep moving." Clair tried as the Mad Hatter poured some tea. "Why? What are you going to do?" he questioned. "We're looking for a White Rabbit and anything that seems off." Clair added.

Anne nodded in agreement. "Only thing that appears off to me is the lack of sugar. SUGAR!" the Mad Hatter called. "SUGAR!" the March Hare yelled into Donald's face. Donald had an annoyed expression and also muttered something under his breath, but no one could tell what he was saying. The Mad Hatter poured a bit too much into Kairi's cup. "We rarely get visitors! It's quite a delight to have some today." he stated as it ended up pouring over the sides. "Uh..." Kairi tried to tell him. "It's pouring over!" Jason bluntly told them. "Oh! Sorry." the Hatter apologized before moving on to the next cup.

"Have you seen any weird creatures? With yellow eyes and black bodies?" Dylan questioned. "Lots of them around the Tulgy Wood." the March Hare replied.

"Really?"

"Clean cup! Clean cup! Move down!" The Mad Hatter suddenly exclaimed. "Hey, what the-" Jason protested as they were moved down. "Cleap cup, clean cup! Move down, move down! Clean cup, clean cup, move down!" the March Hare said as they were led to new seats. "Now, would you like some tea?"

"But you just gave us-!" Anne protested, slightly annoyed by the random action. "We haven't had any yet." Riku said. "And you didn't give us a chance!" added Lea. "So you can't take less." the March Hare said.

Clair shook a tea kettle with no spout. "You mean we can't take more." she corrected as she tried to get the tea out.

"No, you can't very well take less." The March Hare took the kettle and cracked it like an egg as tea poured out of it and into a cup. "You can always take more than nothing." he Mad Hatter added. Chase just had a blank look at this. "... huh?"

"Now, you were asking about the Tulgy Woods?" the Hatter asked, changing the subject. "We've been trying to ask you about the strange creatures." Anne told them, deciding not to mention the Heartless.

"What creatures?"

Anne sighed. "The ones with black bodies and yellow eyes and some sort of symbol on them."

"Oh, __those!__ Well, I haven't seen those today." the Hatter stated absentmindedly. "WHAT?!" most of the group groaned. So this guy really didn't know anything about the Heartless!

Jason groaned and banged his head on the table. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"Clean cup! Move down!" the Mad Hatter suddenly called before the group was moved down the table again. "Now, you were saying?"

Just then, they heard the sound of feet scampering. The White Rabbit rushed through, running across the table and out of the gate. "There he is!" Sora exclaimed as he set his tea cup down. "I'm late! So very late! The Queen will have my head!" the Rabbit panicked before he continued to scamper off until he was out of sight. "Follow that rabbit!" Chase yelled as the group scrambled up to their feet and ran out of the yard. The Mad Hatter and March Hare stared for a moment, then shrugged and returned to their tea party.

"Some help that stupid cat was! All he led us to was more crazies!" Jason grumbled as they ran towards the direction the White Rabbit went. "Well, at least we found the White Rabbit." Sora told him. "But now we're in this Bulgy Woods!" Jason said.

"Tulgy Woods." Clair corrected him.

Anne glanced around them as they followed the path. This place was just getting weirder and weirder. "Are you sure we should go that way?" she asked, looking in the direction the Rabbit went. "Yeah! He should be able to lead us to what we're looking for." Sora nodded before they took off running again.

The teenager just hoped that they'd get out of this place soon, or else they, too, would probably go crazy from this place...


	11. Beware the Jabberwock

Sora glanced around as they trudged further into the Tulgy Woods. He glanced back at the group. Anne had placed her headphones on over her ears, probably to block out the madness around them. However, before she could turn her music on, there was a loud honk as she stepped on something.

The teenager rose an eyebrow as she glanced down, seeing she stepped on some sort of creature. It appeared to be a cross between a purple bicyle horn and a duck. The creature honked at her angrilly before running off. Chase stared at it. "That was... strange." he summarized.

Anne slipped her headphones off. "Weird..." she muttered.

Clair nodded in agreement. She failed to notice something jump onto her face. She glanced around, then jumped backwards in shock as she looked in a mirror that acted as the head for a bird. She had some sort of red rimmed glasses with a pointy noise on her face.

Chase laughed at the sight. "You look pretty silly."

She took the glasses off her face, but was surprised to find a pair of legs attached to it. "Huh?"

The odd creature jumped away as soon as it was set down. "Why do I get the feeling we should've stayed out of this forest?" Chase asked.

"Feeling paranoid, Chase?" Dylan teased his brother. Chase nodded in response. "Can we just keep moving?" he pleaded.

They resumed their trek, but a moment later, Dylan bumped into a birdcage... bird?

"What the?!" he exclaimed. The cage opened and two other birds flew out of it. The birdcage chased after them, catching them in its mouth and swallowing them, resulting in them landing back in the cage. The group just stared at the odd scene as the living birdcage went to rest on a branch. "... let's keep moving." Donald said quickly. "Yeah." Anne agreed, hoping that she wouldn't see anything else weird.

As they resumed walking, Sora looked around them and rose an eyebrow. "I don't see any Heartless..."

"Maybe the March Hare didn't see anything." Donald suggested. Jason grumbled under his breath at this.

"What's this?" Lea noticed some birds that had hammers and pencils for heads. The bird like creatures noticed them and quickly flew away as Anne walked over to the signs they had been making. "'Don't step on the Mome Raths?'" she read with confusion.

"What are Mome Raths?" Clair asked.

Lea glanced down and took a step back. "Uh... I think those."

Anne looked down as well and jumped. There were little multicolored creatures with legs on the ground!

Chase yelped and nearly jumped into his brother's arms, who had a look of annoyance at his antics. "They're kind of cute..." Kairi remarked as the Mome Raths ran around them before scattering off in different directions.

"That was weird." Jason said. "Definitely." Anne agreed.

As the others were trying to get over the weirdness of the area they were in, Riku glanced around them. He felt that... something wasn't right. Sora noticed his friend's expression. "Riku? Is something wrong?" he questioned.

"Guys, something's not right here..." he warned them.

They then heard familiar humming as the Cheshire Cat materialized on the ground in front of them. "YOU!" Jason and Anne exclaimed with frowns on their faces. The Cheshire Cat merely grinned. "Whom did you expect?" he asked.

Anne growled. This cat was annoying her more and more each second he was around. "You little troll! What do you want?!"

"What I want."

"And what is it?!" Anne asked. She was sorely tempted to throw something at this cat, now.

The Cheshire Cat smiled. "What I want."

"Give us a straight answer!" Jason snapped.

The Cheshire Cat just smiled. "Oh, I'll give you a sign." At that a sign fell out of a tree and hit Jason on the head. Jason grunted as it bounced off and he held his head. "Ow!"

Goofy looked at the sign as it landed on the ground. "'Beware the Jabberwock'?" he read. "What's a Jabberwock?" Kairi questioned.

"It's short for Jabberwocky." the Cheshire Cat explained. Anne frowned, losing her patience with the cat. "What's your point?"

Once again, all they received from the cat was a smile before he snapped his fingers. The wind picked up as the Cheshire Cat vanished. Kairi looked around them, then gasped as she noticed something beginning to form. "Look!"

The group watched in horror as a massive, dark green dragon-like creature appeared with the Heartless insignia on its chest. It had sharp teeth and black claws. Chase gulped. "Either I'm having a really bad hallucination or that's the Jabberwocky." he said nervously.

"It's not." Riku said, though he was surprised at its appearance as well. "It's a Heartless that must've taken the form of this Jabberwocky."

"Either way... I think we're in big trouble..." Dylan paled. The Jabberwocky let out a ferocious roar, blowing their hair back. Chase pinched his nose. "Yuck. Dragon breath. Seriously, floss, you overgrown lizard!"

It growled in response. "Uh oh... I think you made it angry!" Goofy gulped. "I'm pretty sure it was already mad." Dylan stated.

Riku summoned his Keyblade. "I don't think that it matters to it..." Riku muttered. Suddenly, the Jabberwocky Heartless swiped its tail at them. Those who didn't have times to summon their weapons were knocked back. Chase went rolling until he crashed into a tree. Jason and Anne crashed into each other. "Get off me!" they both exclaimed at each other before Clair crashed into them. "Ow, I think you landed on my hip..." Anne cringed. The Jabberwocky then grabbed them and started to squeeze, attempting to crush them. Anne and Jason let out yells of pain.

"Anne!" Dylan cried out as he drew his sword and ran at it with Clair, who had her Keyblade ready. They both struck the Heartless, which let out a screech and let go of them. Anne cringed as she landed on her side. Jason groaned as he landed on his back. "Ow..."

Dylan and Clair helped them up. "You okay?" Dylan asked.

"Well, I landed on my hip twice..." Anne winced. The Fake Jabberwocky flew up and then swooped down at them. Chase pulled his friends out of the way before Anne summoned her Keyblade. Jason did the same as it prepared to swoop down again. Sora reacted quickly and threw his Keyblade, hitting it in the head. It snarled and pulled up, landing on the ground, snapping at them. Sora jumped away from the Heartless quickly. However, one of the fangs snagged Chase's jacket.

"AAAH! Put me down, put me down! Bad lizard! Bad Jabberwocky!" Chase exclaimed, thrashing around. Of course, his jacket tore and he landed on his back. The Jabberwocky Heartless spat out the piece of his jacket and snarled. Clair shot a blizzard spell at it while it was distracted, freezing the tip of a wing. The Heartless growled and tried to get the ice off. This gave the group a chance to attack.

"Thunder!" Donald cried out, shocking it. The Jabberwocky was hit by the lightning and screeched in pain, falling onto its side. "It's open!" Donald called. Chase ran up to it, kicking it in the face as hard as he could. "Ha! Take that!" he said with triumph. Dylan slashed at it with his sword. The Heartless then gave a roar, blasting the two brothers back. Clair then shot a Thunderspell at it, electrocuting it. As it let out another roar, one of pain, Jason slammed hsi Keyblade down on it. "Take that!"

Anne slammed hers into it as well. The Heartless then recovered and got up to its feet. The group took a couple steps back as Jason and Anne got away from it. "Come on!" Jason taunted it. "For a ferocious looking dragon, you're a wuss."

It growled and roared at them. "Great, now you've made it more angry!" Anne exclaimed.

He just looked at her. "It's not even giving us a challenge!"

"This thing is trying to kill us!" Anne argued.

"Duh!"

The teenage girl groaned. "The worst thing you could do right now is make it angrier!"

"Guys! Focus on the enemy!" Lea called. It was too late, as the Jabberwocky flew towards them. Jason ended up crashing onto the end of its face as it flew up into the air. It growled at him as he clung onto its head. "Hang on, Jason!" Kairi called up.

"What do you think I'm doing?!"

Kairi shot a fire spell at one of its legs, causing it to crash to the ground and allow Jason to get off. Jason punched it in the eye before the Heartless roared and knocked him back with one of its arms. He tumbled back, landing next to Clair. "I'm going to be blunt." she told her cousin. "Don't make that thing mad!"

Sora used Flowmotion and launched himself towards a tree, using it to propel himself towards the Heartless. He slashed at it, making it screech. The spiky haired brunet flipped back and landed next to Donald and Goofy as Lea made his move. The pyro slashed at one of the Jabberwocky's legs, earning an aggravated roar from the Heartless before it flew up into the air. "What? You don't want more of this?!" he called.

The Fake Jabberwocky replied by swooping down at them. Riku quickly blocked it, dazing the Jabberwocky for a moment. Using this opportunity, Riku slashed at it with Kairi and Sora. It screeched angrily at them as Anne stabbed it with her own Keyblade. The dragon like Heartless let out a roar before swiping at them with its tail, dealing a bit of damage to Sora as it hit him. "Sora!" Donald cried out, quickly casting Cure on his friend. "Thanks, Donald!" Sora hopped back up to his feet. Anne charged at it, bringing her Keyblade down on its head. It snarled and tried to bite her, but she ducked and dove down to the ground, swinging wildly.

It rammed its head into her, sending her flying backwards. She screamed a bit before she crashed to the ground, groaning in pain. However, Clair quickly healed her with Cure and helped her up. The two then realized the Fake Jabberwocky was standing over them omninously. "Uh oh!" Anne exclaimed. The Heartless roared at them, but ended up biting the ground as Chase ran over and moved them out of the way. Clair's eyes widened. "That was..."

"Way too close." Chase finished.

"Thank you..."

"Anytime."

"INCOMING!" Dylan suddenly warned. The Jabberwocky finally pulled its head out of the ground and snarled viciously at the group. Chase ran and punched it in the eye before it could do anything, causing it to roar angrilly and stumble backwards. Donald hit it with another Thunder spell, electrocuting it. It twitched before falling down, giving another opening as everyone rushed in to attack. "Eat this!" Jason slammed his Keyblade down on it while Lea shot a fireball. Clair fired a Plasma Bolt at it, landing quite a hit as Anne shot a Blizzard spell, freezing half of its wing. Chase punched and kicked it. "Okay, I just feel stupid doing this." he said to himself.

Dylan slashed at it, shocking it in the process while Goofy slammed his shield into its face as hard as he could. "Take that!"

Riku slashed at the Heartless twice with his Keyblade while Kairi managed to land a blow. "This is it!" Sora yelled as he brought his Keyblade down on top of it. However, the Heartless roared, blasting them back. "Okay, maybe it isn't." Sora winced.

As it lunged at them, they quickly scrambled out of the way. The Heartless regained its balance before knocking at least half of them down. Jason pushed himself back up. "That's it..."

Anne stumbled to her feet, cringing as she did. "I hate that lizard..."

"You and me both..." Dylan mumbled from his spot. Clair tried to get up, but she and Kairi were trapped under the claws. She had time to gasp before it flew up in the air with them. "Kairi!" Sora exclaimed.

"Clair!" Jason called out. The Fake Jabberwocky pulled them to its mouth, ready to eat them.

"No, you don't!" Chase shouted before the three charged at the Heartless. Jason hacked at it while Chase ran faster and hit the ankles of the Fake Jabberwocky. Sora jumped up and slammed his Keyblade into one of its arms, forcing it to let go of the two girls as he landed back down. Kairi and Clair were sent falling towards the ground. Kairi landed on Sora while Clair landed on Chase, who grunted upon the impact. His eyes then widened due to Clair landing on him. "Uh..."

Clair got up off him and gasped, seeing she had basically crash landed on Chase. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" she apologized. Chase could only stammer.

"Look out!" Jason tackled them as the Fake Jabberwocky swung its tail again, barely missing them. Sora quickly helped Kairi up before they sliced at the creature together with their Keyblades. Clair then cast Aero at the Fake Jabberwocky, forcing it to stumble backwards. Anne then charged forward and slammed her Keyblade into its leg. It roared in pain and fell to the ground. As the Heartless tried to get back up again, Anne impaled it in the chest with her Keyblade. It roared at that and swiped at her, sending her flying back once again. She yelled in pain as she tumbled a bit upon landing.

"Anne!" Dylan rushed to help her. Once he reached his friend, he knelt down to check on her. "Anne! ANNE! Can you hear me?!"

"I didn't get the last cookie..." Anne muttered in a dazed tone. Dylan shook her gently. "Anne, snap out of it! Its me!" he said in an attempt to snap her out of her stupor, then held up two fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"... eight?"

As her vision cleared, she noticed the Jabberwocky above them ready to attack. "LOOK OUT!" she exclaimed as she grabbed Dylan and they rolled out of the way. The jaw clamped down on where they were just two seconds ago. "Whoa!" Dylan gasped as they sat up. The Heartless noticed them and snarled, preparing to lunge at them again, but Riku attacked first. "Take this!" he exclaimed before firing a dark fireball into its open mouth and down its throat.

Immediately, the Jabberwocky froze in place, as the fireball was the final blow for it. It then fell onto its side as it disintegrated while a large crystal heart was released, slowly floating up into the air and out of sight.

"Finally!" Jason panted while Chase helped up his brother and friend. "That... thing... was... tough..." Dylan wheezed as Sora casted Cure on the injured. Chase fell on his back while Clair groaned out, "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

 _"And the mome raths outgrabe~"_ they heard a familiar cheery voice sing as the Cheshire Cat reappeared on top of a boulder with his always present grin. Jason, Anne, and Donald glared at the cat. "You!" they growled.

"Whom did you expect? The White Rabbit perhaps?" he smiled.

Jason tried to tackle it. "You sent that thing after us! You were trying to get us killed!"

However, the Cheshire Cat vanished and Jason crashed into the boulder. "Oh, I wasn't trying to kill you. The Heartless was. I merely sent you to it because you were looking for it." the cat explained as he reappeared on Jason. He growled and tried to snatch the trickster, but he disappeared again. His tail reappeared behind Anne's head, making it look like she had an oddly colored ponytail. Kairi screamed with surprise and pointed at Anne. "There!"

Anne turned, but couldn't see the cat. "What the..."

The Cheshire Cat's head appeared on her shoulder and stuck its tongue out. Jason tried to grab him, but he vanished and the teen accidentally crashed into Anne. "OW! Watch it!" Anne snapped at him.

"I was just trying to get that stupid cat!"

"Where?" Anne asked as the cat reappeared on top of her head in a goofy pose, like some ancient work of art. Anne glanced up, seeing him. "You little-!" She shook her head and swung her arms in an attempt to get him off. He reappeared leaning on her leg, making Anne jump in surprise. She attempted to grab him, but the trickster vanished and appeared leaning against a boulder casually.

"Ignore him. Let's just get out of here." Dylan muttered as he shook his head, fed up with the cat's nonsense.

Anne nodded. "Okay. We'll be on our way."

"No, you won't." the Cheshire Cat smiled.

Jason glared. "What?"

"You have no way. All ways here are the Queen's ways."

Sora gulped, remembering her. She was _not_ one to mess with. "Queen? What queen?" Clair quirked an eyebrow.

Chase shrugged. "Never heard of her."

"You haven't? You haven't?!" The Cheshire Cat laughed. "Oh, but you must! She'll be mad about you, simply mad!"

Riku shook his head. "We need to get going." he told him. "We just wanna get outta here!" Anne added quickly. "Which way do we go?" Clair asked.

"Well... some go this way. Some go that way. But as for me, personally, I prefer the shortcut." The Cheshire Cat pulled on a stick and a door opened in the middle of a tree before he vanished again. "What the..." Dylan trailed off. A pathway could be seen in the tree.

It was then Clair's ears picked up a noise, so she walked closer to it. "I hear whistling." she informed the group before she walked up to it. "Clair, wait!" Donald tried, but she was already inside. Quickly, the group ran after her, leaving the forest behind them.

* * *

When they got out of the pathway, the group of travelers were surprised to find that they were back in the hedge maze from earlier. "We're back in the maze?!" Jason groaned as he glanced around them.

"But we were just in the woods-" Dylan began.

"In Wonderland, things are really topsy turvy." Goofy explained. Sora was about to add something, but by then, the group could all faintly hear humming in the distance.

"There it is again..." Clair observed. "Clair, don't..." Jason started, but Clair took off in the direction of the whistling. "Go after the noise..."

Chase ran after her. "Chase, wait!" Dylan exclaimed, but he was already after Clair. Donald let out a groan of exasperation before the group ran after the three.

As they weaved their way throughout the maze, they could hear the humming growing louder and louder. When they caught up to the trio, Clair, Chase, and Dylan were peeking over a hedge. "What's-" Jason began, but Clair shushed him, as singing could be heard.

" _Oh..._

 _Painting the roses red_

 _We're painting the roses red_

 _We dare not stop_

 _Or waste a drop_

 _So let the paint be spread."_

Some red paint flew over a hedge and onto the ground in front of them. Jason managed to avoided it. Anne tried to peek over the top of the hedge, but got hit in the face by a splash of paint. "Bleugh!" she groaned as she tried wiping it off. Kairi tried to find something to help her clean it off, pulling a cloth she kept in her pouch. As this was happening, the newbies peered through an entrance and their jaws dropped incredulously. Inside were three cards, a three, a two, and an ace with human aspects moving around while painting white roses on a bush with red paint. They continued to sing, obvlivious to them as they slowly approached while Anne's face was finally cleaned.

"Um... excuse me? Why are you painting them red?" Clair asked, gaining the three cards' attention.

"Huh? OH!" they exclaimed, one of them splashing the other in the face with red paint.

"Well, the fact is, missy, we planted the white roses by mistake! And..." The three answered, quickly painting a rose red before all the cards sang:

 _"T_ _he Queen she likes 'em red_

 _If she saw white instead_

 _She'd raise a fuss_

 _And each of us_

 _Would quickly lose his head!"_

Anne's hand flew up to her neck and she cringed at the thought. "Yikes..."

 _"Since this is the part we dread..._

 _We're painting the roses red!"_ the cards sang as they moved to another tree, resuming their work. Clair looked back at the group. "We should help them. They shouldn't have to-" she began, but a fanfare could be heard. Instantly, the cards' singing ceased and they had looks of panic on their faces.

"The Queen!" each of the three cards gasped in fear. The cards ran around in circles, frantically disposing of their paint cans and paint brushes until they fell down flat on their faces. The group then saw several rows of cards marching their way. But they noticed that these cards had red lances, unlike the ones they just spoke with.

"Cards, HALT!" A loud voice suddenly ordered. The cards halted their march and formed a perimeter around them. "SOUND OFF!"

"One!"

"Two"

"Three!"

"Four!"

"FIve!"

"Six"

"Seven!"

"Eight!"

"Nine!"

"Ten!"

"Jack!"

Much to the new ones' surprise, the White Rabbit came running in playing a fanfare on a trumpet. So this was why he was in a rush!

He breathed heavily, gasping for breath before saying, "Her-her Imperial Highness! Her-her Grace! Her Excellency! Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of Hearts!" There was a great cheering before the White Rabbit gestured to a tiny little man, "And the King."

"There she is..." Sora whispered to the newcomers. The Queen of Hearts was rather big. She wore a large red, black, white, and yellow dress with a large white collar around her neck and a gold crown atop her frowned when she noticed some of the roses, seeing the paint slowly dripping off them. She marched over to them, her frown turning into a grin that sent shivers down Anne's spine.

She placed her finger on one of the roses, getting it covered in fresh paint. "Huh?" She then scowled. "Who's been painting my roses red...?"

To their surprise, she pulled the tree out of the ground with her bare hand, waving it throughout the air.

 _"WHO'S BEEN PAINTING MY ROSES RED?!_

 _Who dares to taint with vulgar paint_

 _The royal flower bed?_

For painting my roses red

 _someone will lose his head!"_ she seethed, tossing the rose bush aside. The three cards started begging for their lives.

The Three looked up at the Queen. "Oh no, your majesty, please, it's all his fault!" He pointed to Two.

Two looked in fear. "Not me, Your Grace. The Ace! The Ace!"

"You?" The Queen glared.

Ace shook his head. "No, Two!"

"The Deuce, you say?" she asked with a sinister grin.

Two had enough. "Not me, the Tres!"

"That's enough! Off with their heads!" The Queen commanded and much to the new ones of group's shock, her soldiers cheered, singing as the three cards were dragged off one by one.

 _"They're going to lose their heads_

 _For painting the roses red_

 _It serves them right_

 _They planted white_

 _And roses should be red. Oh!_

 _They're going to lose their heads..."_

"SILENCE!" The Queen suddenly bellowed, blowing all the cards down. Chase jumped and hid behind his brother and Anne, who were both equally freaked out.

"We should probably leave. Now." Sora whispered urgently, placing a hand on Riku and Kairi's shoulders.

However, the Queen noticed them before they could sneak out. "You!"

"I take it you're not on friendly terms with the Queen?" Anne whispered to her new teammates. "Nope... not exactly..." Sora chuckled nervously. The Queen scowled and glared at them. Goofy gulped, taking a step back and tipping his hat. "Um... hi?" he tried.

"You dare to show your faces here again?!" the Queen said. "Y-You see, we were just trying to find our way-" Chase began, but the Queen cut him off. "Your way?! All ways here are MY way!" she snapped. Chase paled. Looks like that cat was right...

The Queen then glared at Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "And what are you doing here?!"

"And now's our cue to run!" Sora told his friends before they turned around and took off running.

"SEIZE THEM!" the Queen demanded. Following her order, the card soldiers charged after the travelers. "Why are they chasing us?! What does she want with you guys?!" Dylan asked as they ran out of the clearing and back into the maze. "They're under orders from the Queen!" Sora explained. "Which is why we need to move!" Donald added, rounding around a corner.

"What's up with that Queen anyway?!" Jason asked. "She's crazy!" Donald exclaimed. "She blamed Alice for trying to steal her heart during our first adventure and tried to execute her through an unfair court!"

"We found evidence that it was the Heartless, but the Queen still wouldn't accept it! She tried to kill Alice and us!" Sora added.

"But why?!" Jason pressed as they ran as fast as they could. "Because she's crazy!" Donald retorted just as they finally made it out of the maze. Anne panted as they stopped for a moment, but they could hear clamoring in the distance. "They're still coming. Come on!" Riku warned his new teammates before they took off running again. They could see an arch nearby, but they couldn't tell where it lead to. However, they could hear the soldiers getting closer to the area they were at.

"This way!" Sora told them before running in. Riku and the others quickly followed the spiky haired teen and much to their surprise, they found themselves back in the Bizarre Room.

Dylan wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. "Did... did we lose them...?" he managed to ask. Kairi glanced back at the doorway, seeing no trace of the card soldiers, neither could she hear them. "I think so." she told him with a nod.

"We shouldn't stick around here too long, though. They might come through there." Lea pointed out.

"Or worse, that cat comes to mess with us again..." Jason muttered. Anne then looked up at the table, seeing the bottles up on the top. "Uh... how do we get up there?" she asked. "Standing on each other's shoulders?" Chase suggested lamely. "We could, but there's another way. Like this." Sora explained before he jumped up high into the air, grabbing onto the ledge and pulling himself up. The Keyblader then grabbed the red bottle and drank from it. A moment later, he grew back to normal size before the group's eyes. Sora then got off the table and handed the bottle to them. "Here ya go." he offered with a smile.

Chase immediately took it. "Normal size, here I come!" he declared before taking a sip, then shooting up to regular size. Jason was next, returning to his normal size again. "Finally!" he sighed, handing it down to Clair. She drank, and grew back to her normal size as well.

Soon, the whole group had returned to their normal heights. "Oh, it's so good to be back to being big!" Chase sighed with relief. The Doorknob could be heard yawning. "So much noise... can't I get some rest?" he complained.

Jason shook his head. "Let's get out of this crazy place."

"Of course." Donald nodded quickly. They all looked at the tiny door at the other side of the room. "Aaaaannd we have to climb through that again..." Dylan sighed. Anne was the first to move to it and started squeezing her way through again. She managed to pull herself through, although with a bit of difficulty, getting back up to her feet. Jason was next, but like last time, he had a bit of trouble.

The teen could hear Dylan's sword being unsheathed, and he immediately assumed it was Chase. "Don't you dare!" he warned with a growl. Anne rolled her eyes and grabbed Jason, pulling him through. Dylan pushed his sword through first and then crawled through. After a few minutes of crawling and pulling each other out, each of them had made it through the door. Together, they walked down the hall to where they had fallen when they arrived, finding the firepit like place. But the Gummi Ship was not there...

"So... how do we get back up there?" Chase asked.

As if on cue, the Gummi Ship floated down before landing in front of them with a thud. Jason immediately rushed in with the others following short behind. Donald practically leapt into his seat at the controls as the rest got into their seats. "Let's get outta here! Hold on, everyone!" he warned before slamming his hand down on the launch button.

Anne screamed and held on tightly as the ship tilted upward and zoomed up in the air at fast speeds, forcing them all back in their seats.

After what felt like several minutes, they felt the ship slow down. Kairi glanced out the windows, seeing the vast reaches of outer space, which confirmed they made it out of Wonderland.

Anne sighed with relief, slumping down in her seat. Jason looked satisfied to be off that world. Clair and Dylan just looked exhausted while Chase just slouched over. Anne slipped her headphones on over her ears as she attempted to relax from the action and craziness that had happened there. She silently prayed that they wouldn't have to go to a world like Wonderland anytime soon.


	12. No Desert for You

Nash stumbled a bit on his feet as he trekked on down the path.

"Where am I?" he muttered, then thought about those people he saw before earlier. Who were they? What were they up to? What the heck were they even talking about? What did they want?

Nash had a feeling that it certainly was not good. He was glad he managed to get out of that alley without being seen... but where was he now?

Where did this portal take him?

The lost teenager looked around his surroundings. He certainly wasn't in the area he was last in anymore. It looked nothing like that. There were buildings here and there, but they certainly didn't look like the ones he recognized back at home.

There were people around, but they were dressed in a way that seemed off. The style, just looked different. He wasn't sure how to put it.

Nash wasn't sure what to do now. He was in a strange place that definitely wasn't home. The boy looked up at the sky.

"Just... where am I?" he wondered out loud.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the World That Never Was, a corridor of darkness opened up and a figure in a black coat stepped out. The person's face was obscured by the high collar and the hood.

The figure then walked forward, passing by several fallen buildings. These happened to be leftovers from the battle Xemnas had against Riku and Sora. The mysterious person calmly walked up until finding the castle. The Castle that Never Was was an impressive white fortress floating a far distance away from the current spot the figure was standing in.

It was supposed to protect the castle, but failed to keep the Keyblade's Chosen from entering it so many months ago. The figure snapped its fingers and a translucent pathway appeared, stretching out from the edge all the way up to the castle. The figure walked up it calmly and silently, and when they came to the end, they walked through the various paths of the castle.

The person in the black cloak kept walking until they came across a bright, white room filled with thirteen chairs in a circle. They sat in one of the chairs calmly, and as they did, the chair rose until it was a considerable height away from the ground. They sat there in silence, then a moment later, another pillar of darkness appeared, this time on the highest chair in the room. The man who sat in it had dark tan skin and long, silver hair with golden eyes. He was rather broad shouldered, as well.

The figure looked up at the man. "Greetings... Lord Xemnas." they greeted in a low voice.

Xemnas looked at the hooded figure. "It took me quite some time to get here again..." he remarked. The figure nodded. "I have news, Lord Xemnas."

"Speak."

"The Keyblade's Chosen ones are on the move. But there is other news. There are three new wielders of the Keyblade." he replied. That actually caught Xemnas's interest. "Is there, now...?"

The hooded figure nodded. "Two girls and a boy."

"Interesting..." Xemnas remarked lowly.

"They've only scratched the surface. They are no threat. In fact, they were almost pathetic in fighting this Heartless when I first saw them." the mysterious man replied. "However, they could grow stronger. We may need to keep an eye on them..."

"Indeed. The Keyblade War shall soon be upon us..." he smirked with a nod. "The champions of light will gather to face the seekers of darkness. And it cannot be avoided, no matter how hard they try. The champions and seekers shall fight for the ultimate source... Kingdom Hearts."

* * *

At the Mysterious Tower, King Mickey Mouse stood in front of Yen Sid's desk, bowing respectfully. "Yen Sid, you summoned me?"

The wise old sorcerer nodded. "As you know, Xehanort is on the move again, as two worlds have been plunged into darkness so far."

That took Mickey by surprise. "Two?!" he gasped.

"Yes." Yen Sid nodded grimly. "However, there are some people who made it off. Three of these individuals are able to use a Keyblade."

"Three new Keyblade wielders..." Mickey mused with surprise. "I have sent Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy to help them learn along the way." Yen Sid nodded.

Mickey sighed with relief. "Then they are in great hands." the mouse king remarked.

Yen Sid let out a sigh. "Mickey... I fear the Keyblade War will soon be upon us. Xehanort is on the move... the guardians of light must soon be assembled. Thus, it is time to summon Ventus, Terra, and Aqua."

Mickey's eyes widened. "You mean...?"

"Mickey. We must move now. We cannot wait any longer. You must go and find Sora and his group. We must tell them of the three Keybladers who suffered those terrible fates. It is time to rescue them."

* * *

Anne was still listening to her music as they traveled. It helped her take her mind of Wonderland. She wasn't paying attention to anything around her.

It was a good thing, too, because Jason and Donald were arguing. She was too lost in the music.

Dylan groaned. "Will you two stop arguing?!" he told the two. "We're not gonna get anywhere if you two keep this up!"

"He disagrees with everything I say!" Donald accused, pointing at Jason. The teenager scowled, crossing his arms. "Because what you say is stupid." he retorted. Donald fumed at that. "Excuse me?!" he demanded. "You heard me, birdbrain." Jason shot back. Donald growled at that. "Both of you knock it off!" Dylan frowned, looking away from the window. "We're not gonna be able to get anywhere since you two won't stop bickering!"

"And where exactly are we going?" Jason asked. "If it's just as cuckoo as Wonderland, you can forget it!"

Dylan groaned. "I don't know where we're going next, but as you can see, we're not going anywhere right now cause of you two!"

"In other words, thanks to you, ya big palooka, we're lost!" Donald said, frowning at Jason.

"Palooka?" Dylan questioned, confused by Donald's choice of words. "It's something Donald calls people." Sora explained to Dylan.

"What kind of word is 'palooka'? It's stupid." Jason frowned. Donald's eyes narrowed at that. "What?!" the magician growled. "You heard me, feather head." Jason crossed his arms. Donald attempted to punch him while he was flying the Gummi Ship, making the ride a bit shaky for a moment.

Dylan yelled in surprise and clung onto his seat. Anne, still with her headphones on, was just ignoring the racket. "That the best you got?" Jason asked Donald. "I'll show you!" Donald threatened before he leapt out of his seat and lunged at Jason, who simply stepped to the side. Quickly, Riku grabbed the controls and kept the ship on a steady course. Jason had an amused look at Donald's attempt. "Seriously?" he asked him. Donald jumped right up to his feet with a growl. "Why you...!"

Donald clenched his fists and charged at him again. Jason stepped to the side again and this time, Donald ended up crashing into Anne. The girl jumped in surprise and yanked her headphones off. "Whoa, what the-?!" she exclaimed as Donald scrambled to get off her. "He started it!" Donald accused as he pointed at Jason.

Jason crossed his arms. "It was flat beak, here."

"It's not a beak! It's a bill!" Donald retorted.

"That's enough!" Clair snapped, having enough of the fight. The two froze in place and looked at her. "We're teammates! We're supposed to work together! Not fight!"

Both Donald and Jason looked at each other.

"Now apologize to each other. Right now!" she told them. Jason crossed his arms, muttering under his breath. "Jason, say it."

"I'm not apologizing to him!"

Anne looked a bit annoyed as she reached for her headphones to put back on again. "Anne, help me out here." Clair requested. "Please."

Anne sighed. "Look, just apologize so we can get it over with and get moving." she told Jason and Donald. "We can't go to another world until you two quit your bickering." Anne crossed her arms. "So just apologize, already."

Jason grumbled. "Okay, already. Sorry, big mouth."

Donald looked rather ticked off at 'big mouth'. "Jason." Clair scolded, shooting him a look. "Alright, sorry." Jason muttered. Donald started walking away back to his seat. "You too, Donald." Goofy told his friend. "... sorry..." Donald grumbled reluctantly. Clair nodded. "That's better."

"Was that so hard?" Anne asked as she put her headphones back on over her ears. "Yeah." Jason grumbled as he sat back down in his seat. However, he started drumming his feet out of boredom. Donald went back to piloting the Gummi Ship as he did, but soon found the drumming annoying. "Would you quit it?!" Donald groaned over his shoulder.

"In case you haven't noticed, this is incredibly dull!" Jason retorted. "Well, I can't fly this to get us somewhere if you keep distracting me!"

Dylan just groaned and slumped down in his seat, covering his ears. Clair just tried to block it out as she read a couple books Merlin had given her. She looked over some spells that looked like they would come in handy against Heartless later on. There was one about Substitutiary Locomotion, but that seemed a little advanced for her, so she flipped the page. It was the traveling spell that Merlin showed her. It read _'Use it on an object that can twist off of something, then screw it back on. To activate the spell, the owner of the object must tell it where they want to go, tap it three times, then give it a quarter turn to the left, and they'll be taken to that location.'_

That could come in handy if something happened to the Gummi. So, she took note of that and flipped the page again. Oh, a spell on turning people into rabbits. There was a little note that the less experience someone has, the quicker the spell wears off. Probably not very reliable at the moment, so she flipped the page yet again. There was a section on magical items. Hmmm... pixie dust...

She rose an eyebrow. It was said to make you fly... that might actually work. Although Anne probably wouldn't be a big fan of that. Clair could tell she did not like heights by the way she was acting before. As she turned the page, she found a section on dragons. There was lots on dragons in that section. They were incredibly magical, and almost every part was said to have some healing property. It did say that dragons could also be incredibly wicked and some were poisonous. She shuddered at that before turning the page again, this time, finding something a bit more pleasant.

Music? It was saying here that many acts of magic were tied to music, and some would use song and dance when casting their spells to help increase the potency. That gained some interest from Clair. Maybe she should try it out sometime...

Chase looked out the window with complete boredom. "... are we there yet?" he asked. "No, we are not!" Donald snapped. Chase groaned, slumping over a bit, but then noticed something in the distance. "Hey, what's that?" he inquired. The group looked out the window and noticed a world in the distance. It was shaped like a bit like a magic lamp.

"What... The..." Dylan asked. Anne slipped off her headphones and stared in surprise. "What's that?" she wondered out loud.

Sora smiled. "That's Agrabah!" he replied. "Agra-hoo-hah?" Chase asked.

Donald ignored that and flew the Gummi Ship towards the world. "Agrabah, here we come!" he announced.

* * *

When the Gummi Ship landed, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were the first ones to walk down the platform. Anne followed them and was greeted with some sand to her face. "Ack!" she coughed, spitting out some sand.

Chase laughed a bit, but gagged as he got sand in his mouth as well. "GAK!" he choked on it a bit, so Jason thumped him on the back to force the sand out. That's what you get." Dylan teased his brother as he crossed his arms. "Ha ha." Chase wheezed sarcastically.

Jason glanced at their surroundings. All he saw was sand that seemed to stretch out for miles. "Well, nice to see this place again." Sora remarked.

"THIS is Agrabah?" Anne asked, looking at the desert around them. "There's a whole lotta nothing." Chase said.

"Why'd you land us in the middle of a desert?" Dylan asked. "The city of Agrabah is just up ahead in the distance." Sora informed them.

"Stick close to us. We'll show ya the way!" Goofy added before they started walking. The newcomers followed them. The place was much hotter than what Anne was used to. She wished she had a hat or something in order to block out the sun.

Chase wiped some sweat off his forehead. "I'm so hot!" he groaned. "How do you think I feel...?" Anne muttered as they trudged through the sand. Chase didn't answer as he was panting, almost like a dog. Goofy, however, just whistled as he walked. It was like he didn't have a care in the world.

Clair glanced around, seeing something in the distance. It looked like a town or a city...

"Hey, what's that?" she asked, pointing towards the city.

"It's Agrabah!" Sora smiled when his eyes fell on it. The group followed him as he picked up the pace. Lea remembered the times he came to Agrabah back during missions. Man, it's been a while since he'd been here. It was a good thing he couldn't feel anything back then, because wearing those black cloaks in this heat would've been complete misery.

They soon arrived at the entrance to the city. "Whoa..." Clair gasped when she looked at the gates. Anne's eyes widened as she did as well. They looked so much larger up close!

The group stepped through the entrance and as they did, they found several merchant stands surrounding them. Chase looked around amused. This almost reminded him of some of the _Indiana Jones_ films he used to watch! It was an actual bazaar, with people wearing robes and turbans and everything!

"Sweet! It's just like the setting for all those adventure films!" he grinned. Anne glanced around as well. She began to feel out of place. She noticed some people were casting the odd glance their way, so she whistled casually as she went to examine some items at a stand, ignoring the glances. There were some interesting items in the stand. The merchant looked at her. "Looking for some perfume?" He held up a bottle. "This was used by the Queens of Sheba themselves. One whiff and any prince will fall for you."

"Um... no thank you." she declined before moving onto another stall. "Try this. Your taste buds will soar and dance." A merchant tried to sell her some melons. "Uh... No thanks, I'm good..." Anne denied again. Chase was examining some stuff on another stand. "Ooh, what's this?" he asked, picking up a bottle.

The merchant looked at him. "That... is a bottle."

"Does it do anything? Does it have a kind of drink in it?" Chase pressed. "No, it's just a bottle. I'm drinking out of it."

Chase blinked. Jason bit his lip to try and not snicker at that. "Oh. My bad..." Chase smiled sheepishly as he set it down. Dylan was checking out some things as well. A merchant tried to sell him some fish... by shoving it in his face. "Fresh fish! We catch 'em, you buy 'em!"

Dylan declined, trying not to gag from having a fish shoved in his face.

Anne examined another stand. This time, she saw something that caught her attention. "Hey, what's this?" she inquired.

"This? This, my dear, is a very powerful bottle. Do not be fooled by its appearance. It's not what is outside, but what is inside that counts." he told her. "What's in it, exactly?" she questioned.

"A genie."

Anne rose an eyebrow. She heard stories about genies, but didn't think much of them. "Seriously?" she asked.

Dylan just shook his head. "Come on, Anne. It's gotta be a scam."

The teenage girl looked back at the bottle, then decided not to fall for it, so she moved onto another stand. Kairi was looking at a merchant stand herself. "Would the lady like a necklace? A pretty necklace for the pretty lady." a merchant offered, showing a necklace to her. Kairi looked at it. "It's beautiful..." she remarked. It was gold with studded sapphires. "How much is it?"

"Fifty denarii."

Kairi reached into her bag and pulled out some munny. "Will this do?"

The merchant examined it for a moment, then nodded. "Perfect! Here you go!" the merchant said before giving the necklace to Kairi. She smiled. "Thank you." she thanked him as she put the necklace on while walking away.

Jason was checking out some things at a stand himself. It was full of apples, but he wasn't exactly hungry at the moment. Sora glanced around. "This place seems more upbeat since the last time we were here." he remarked. "Yeah!" Donald agreed.

Jason rose an eyebrow as he examined something else on a stand. "What's this?" he questioned.

"Those, my boy, are dates." the merchant of the stand explained.

"Dates?"

"A fruit. Care to try a sample?"

Jason shrugged before he popped one into his mouth, then coughed. "This one has sand on it!"

"Oops. Sorry." the merchant apologized.

Donald snickered at Jason's predicament. "Shut up." Jason growled at the duck, but Donald just laughed and squawked. Jason stomped towards the duck, but Donald wagged his finger. "Ah, ah, ah..."

Jason paused in place, frowning. Someone then ran past him, bumping into him. They didn't stop to apologize, they just kept going. "Hey, watch it!" Jason snapped. He then felt his pocket before his eyes widened. "That thief!"

Anne glanced away from the stand she was looking at. "What?"

"That thief just took something of mine!" Jason then took off after the thief. "Jason! Wait up!" Clair ran after him. He didn't hear her. He just wanted to catch the crook who had the nerve to steal from him. The others quickly ran after them, leaving whatever they were looking at in the process.

The thief ran into a back alley in an attempt to lose them. However, it was a dead end. The group managed to catch up to them thanks to this. "We got you, now!" Jason declared as he ran towards the thief. The figure looked for a way out, then started climbing up some pots to try and escape.

Sora reacted quickly, calling Kingdom Key to hand and throwing it at the pots. They shattered, causing the thief to crash into the ground. They grunted on the landing as Jason scowled and approached them. He snatched the thief up by the front of their shirt. "Give it back."

Now that they got a closer look at the thief, it was a boy around their age.

"Give it back now." Jason repeated with a frown. Reluctantly, the boy handed him the item he took. Jason snatched it up and dropped the thief. The boy's hood fell off, revealing that he had black hair, brown eyes, and tan skin wearing burlap pants, a red tunic with many, many patches on it, and was barefoot as well.

Clair rose an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"... Zafir..." the boy answered. Jason scowled and pocketed the item. "What do you think you're doing stealing from me?"

"I need money." Zafir replied.

"Well, that wasn't money. That's something important to me." Jason scowled.

Zafir looked at him. "... sorry... I just need money."

"Go get some from your parents, then."

Zafir shook his head. "I don't have any parents."

"What?" Anne questioned. "I said I don't have any parents. I'm an orphan. I live on my own on the streets here." Zafir explained. "I was hungry, and I didn't wanna risk taking food from a stand."

Jason crossed his arms. "So you try to steal off me?"

"Hey, I had no idea what it was." Zafir defended. "It's wrong to steal." Riku told him.

"I know, but its how some of the poor folks survive here." Zafir sighed, looking down. "I'm sorry... I was just hoping I could get enough money to pay for at least a little bit of food. We can't all end up like Aladdin."

"Who's this Aladdin people keep mentioning?" Jason crossed his arms again.

"He was poor, too, but he fell in love with the sultan's daughter, she fell in love back, and now they both live together in the palace." Goofy smiled.

Clair smiled at that. "Aww.."

Zafir sighed. "Sadly, not all the other poor people of Agrabah can end up like Aladdin did. Some of us still struggle to survive."

"That's terrible..." Clair said. Kairi nodded. "I agree."

Zafir looked at them. "Again, sorry for taking... whatever that thing was."

His stomach then growled loudly. "We can get you something to eat." Dylan offered. Zafir's eyes widened. "Really...?"

"Just as long as you don't try to steal from us again. Got it memorized?" Lea asked. Zafir nodded before they headed back to the marketplace together. A couple of them kept their eye on him, just in case. Riku bought a couple apples before handing them to the teen. Almost immediately, Zafir dug into them. He must have been extremely hungry.

He looked at them after swallowing. "Thank you. No one has ever shown me this kindness before."

"Glad that we're the first, then." Sora smiled. "I'm Sora. This is Donald, Goofy, Riku, Kairi, Lea, Dylan, Clair, Anne, Jason, and Chase."

Zafir smiled at them. "Sorry if we got off on the wrong foot."

"No problem." Anne said with a shrug. "You gave us some excitement."

"And rescued my bro from some fish." Chase smiled.

Dylan rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut it."

Zafir glanced at Jason. "So... what was that thing?"

Jason crossed his arms, looking away. "Something of mine."

"But what is it?" Zafir inquired. Jason just looked at him. "It's... personal." he muttered in reply.

"Oh. Sorry."

Anne almost expected Jason to say something rude to Zafir when he asked. Instead, he just looked away. "I can see it means more to you than all the Sultan's treasure." Zafir noted. Jason just nodded slighlty in reply. "... yeah." he mumbled.

Sora decided to change the subject. "Hey, if you guys want, we could introduce you to Aladdin." he offered. Clair nodded. "Sure." she accepted. The spiky haired teen then looked at Zafir. "Hey, you wanna come with us?"

The teenage boy looked a bit surprised at that. "You'd allow yourselves to be seen with a street rat?" Zafir questioned. Clair rose an eyebrow. "Street rat?" the girl asked.

"It's a slang term here for those who live on the streets." he explained. "We don't mind at all." Sora told him. Zafir was surprised at that. "Thank you..." Zafir nodded gratefully. He hadn't met anyone who had been friendly to him like this before. It was actually quite refreshing.

With that, they all headed through the streets of Agrabah towards the palace. Sora smiled as he was in the lead. After nearly several months, he could finally see his old friend again!

* * *

The streets were getting a bit less crowded now that they were leaving the bazaar, so they didn't have to squeeze their way past some people. Anne could see the domed tops of the palace between the buildings and beyond a very large set of gates. It looked beautiful, and she bet it was even more pretty up close.

Zafir stared up in wonder as they got closer and closer. He'd never been able to see the palace up close before... it looked so majestic! A place definitely fit for a Sultan.

Just then, Dylan noticed a small, red parrot flying towards them. "Hey, Sora!" the parrot greeted as it flapped over to them.

"Iago!" Goofy greeted back with a wave. The little parrot flew around them. "Long time, no see, you guys!"

Chase stared. "It's a talking parrot." he joked.

Riku's eyes widened. "You!" he said, recognizing Iago. The parrot jumped in the air and flew a couple feet back. "Whoa, whoa! Easy! I ain't like that, anymore!"

"Riku, it's okay! He's on our side, now." Sora told him. "He helped us stop Jafar last time."

Riku and Kairi seemed to ease up at that information. "How's Aladdin and Jasmine doin'?" Goofy inquired. "They're doing great!" Iago answered. Sora smiled at that. "That's good." he remarked. Iago then flew over to the newbies of the group. "Hey, who are these guys? They new around here or somethin'?"

"They're our new friends and teammates. They're with us." Sora explained.

"So, what are you doing, Iago?" Donald inquired. "I was flying around town checking for any trouble when you guys showed up." Iago replied. "Well, everything seems okay around here." Donald shrugged.

Just then, the giant gate doors opened and a young man with tan skin and black hair wearing a purple vest with a dark orange sash around his waist and white baggy pants, as well as a red fez resting atop his head, stepped out. "Aladdin!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy exclaimed with joy seeing their old friend.

Aladdin's face lit up when his eyes fell on the three. "Sora! Donald! Goofy! Man, it's great to see you guys again!" Aladdin smiled as he approached them, but then noticed the others. "Are they friends of yours?"

Sora nodded. "I found Riku and Kairi. These guys are some new friends who are traveling with us." He gestured to his friends behind him. "Nice to meet you. I'm Aladdin." A monkey wearing a vest with a fez climbed on his shoulder. "And this is Abu."

Abu chittered, waving at them. "Aww, hi there." Anne smiled at the monkey. Abu took off his fez and made a sound that almost sounded like he was saying, 'hello'. "How are things going here in Agrabah?" Sora asked.

"Well... We've been keeping an eye out for trouble." Aladdin explained. "There have been problems with bandits and thieves lately."

"Have you seen any Heartless around?" Sora asked. "Not a lot around here. There have been reports further out in the desert." Aladdin answered his friend. "The desert?" Anne asked. "We were just out there a while ago. We didn't see any Heartless."

Aladdin shrugged. "They're usually seen around the ruins of Sirrush."

"Where are these ruins?" Jason questioned. "They're out in the desert." Aladdin replied.

"How far?"

"About a week's journey. But there's someone I know who could give you a quick ride if you wanted to go."

It was then a young woman with tan skin, black hair tied back into a braid, wearing turqouise clothes that showed her stomach stepped out of the gates. "Aladdin? What's wrong?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy bowed before Sora smiled. "Hi, Jasmine!"

"Sora, Donald, Goofy, it's so good to see you again." the princess smiled. "Likewise." Kairi nodded. Zafir's eyes widened seeing Jasmine before he bowed before her. "It is an honor to meet you, Princess Jasmine."

Anne's eyes widened with surprise. They were standing in front of a princess?!

"Hiya!" Chase waved. Clair bowed before Jasmine. The princess smiled politely. "Nice to meet you." she nodded at them. Clair and Zafir stood up at that. "It's an honor, Princess Jasmine." Zafir told her.

Iago perched himself atop a box. "So, what brings you guys here, huh?"

Riku sighed. "The Organization has returned."

Jasmine and Aladdin froze hearing that. "What...?" Jasmine breathed in shock.

"Organization XIII has returned." Riku informed her grimly. Zafir was confused. "Organization XIII?"

The group glanced at him. They almost forgot he was there!

"Organization XIII is a group that causes trouble wherever they go." Lea explained. "Got it memorized?"

"They're planning to cause even more trouble, so we have to warn Aladdin and Jasmine." Riku added. Zafir was shocked at this information. "What... what kind of trouble?"

"Extremly bad kinds of trouble." Lea summarized.

"Aladdin, Jasmine, you need to be on alert." Riku told them. "Got it." Aladdin said, holding Jasmine's hand. Speaking to Jasmine, he said, "They need to get to the ruins of Sirrush. That's where the traders and merchants have reported seeing Heartless."

He glanced back at the group. "Like I said, I know someone who could get you there fast."

"DID SOMEBODY SAY 'FAST'?!" a loud voice suddenly boomed throughout the area. Anne jumped. "What was that?!" she asked cautiously, looking around their surroundings. "Why, ME of course!" A blue man with blue pants, as well as a red sash, flew down to them, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "Genie formerly-of-the-Lamp at your service!" he grinned.

Anne, Chase, Clair, Dylan, and Jason jumped in surprise. Chase almost leapt into his brother's arms. "Holy crap!"

Anne had stumbled backwards and fell on her back. Clair jumped back in surprise. Even Jason leapt back before looking at the blue figure. "Who are you?!" he asked.

"Relax, it's Genie! He's a friend of ours." Sora told him. "SORA! Donald! Goofy!" Genie whooped as he appeared by them. "How's it going, friends?! Not getting into trouble, are ya?"

"Not exactly." Sora chuckled at him. The Genie noticed Riku and Kairi. "Oh! Have you found your friends at last?!" he grinned. The teen nodded in reply as Genie looked at the five. "Why, hello there, newbies!" He popped up next to Anne. To her surprise, he changed his form. "Looks like we got new riders in the posse!" he said in a thick, southern accent while dressed as a cowboy. He tipped his hat. "Howdy, y'all! What're you doin' here in this here rodeo?"

Anne shot Sora a confused look out of the corner of her eye, hoping for an explanation. "He does that a lot." Sora told her.

He then changed into a formal-looking lady. "Stop gawking like that, young man! You're not a codfish."

Chase closed his mouth at that as Jason just stared with shock. Genie then turned into a gangster and looked at Jason out of the corner of his eye. "You looking at me, punk? Are you?" At that, Genie's eye bugged out right into Jason's face. Jason yelled in surprise before falling on his back. Once Genie got the reaction, the eye went back to his face.

"Y-y-y-y-you're really a genie?" Anne asked. "Correct-a-mundo!" he grinned. "I'm a free genie!"

"A free genie?" Dylan echoed.

"Thaaaaat's right! You see, Al here wished for my freedom as his third wish!" Genie smiled, pulling Aladdin into a noogie. Aladdin smiled. "Hey, I made a promise. And friends keep their promises."

Clair cracked a smile at that. Zafir stared in surprise. "You're the genie everyone's talking about!"

"The one, and the only!" the Genie bowed dramatically. Zafir had heard a lot of stories of the Genie and his magic. Even after being freed, Genie did so much to help Agrabah.

"Sooooo... I hear you guys need a ride to the desert?" he smirked as a pair of shades appeared on his face, tipping them down to look at the group.

"Yeah. We hear there's been some Heartless sightings near these ruins." Lea nodded. "And Aladdin was saying you could get us there quickly." Anne added.

"That is correct, little lady! So can another friend of mine!" the Genie grinned.

The teen blinked, tilting her head. "And who's that?"

"Look behind ya!"

Anne glanced behind her and screamed, seeing a floating purple and gold _carpet_. "WHOA!" She nearly bumped into Jason when she jumped back. "I-Is that a flying carpet?!" Chase asked with surprise.

The carpet flew around them before standing on two of its tassels next to Genie. "He and I can give ya a ride there!" Genie offered.

"... we all can't fit on that tiny carpet." Jason stated.

"No problemo! For those who can't fit on it..." Genie snapped his fingers and a car with no roof with several seats, as well a flame design on the side appeared. "TA-DA! This can drive through the sand at 90 miles per hour with no problem!"

"Sweet wheels." Chase said as he looked at the design. "Okay, that was cool." Dylan admitted, earning a nod of agreement from Anne. "... not bad..." Jason commented as he jumped into the vehicle. Lea, Kairi, Riku, Clair, Chase, Goofy, Donald, and Dylan hopped in as well while Sora and Anne hopped onto the magic carpet. Anne felt like she was going to regret it, for some reason. Genie appeared in the driver's seat wearing a chauffeur's uniform. "Next stop, the ruins of Sirrush. Please keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times!" he announced.

"Wait!" Zafir called as he ran to the car. "Let me come."

Riku looked at him. "Zafir, this might be dangerous depending on what's at the ruins."

Zafir shook his head. "You guys helped me. Now I want to return the favor. Please."

Sora stared at the teen for a moment before he nodded. "Sure, you can come." he accepted. Zafir hopped into the car with the others at that. Genie grinned widely, starting up the car. The magic carpet started to rise up into the air. "This thing isn't gonna go up high, is it?" Anne questioned nervously.

"I think that's possible." Clair said from the car, earning a groan from Anne in response. "Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!" Genie whooped before he drove down an empty street. The carpet flew after them at a fast pace. Anne yelped and held on tightly as it did. "WHOA!" she exclaimed, praying that it wouldn't go high into the air.

Several civilians scattered out of the way as the car drove through and out of the city gates with the magic carpet following shortly behind. "WHOO-HOO!" Chase could be heard whooping as they sped out into the desert.

* * *

Meanwhile, Aladdin glanced at Jasmine. "The Organization's back? This can't be good..." Aladdin said with worry.

Jasmine nodded in agreement. Aladdin thought the Organization had been dealt with since the last time he saw Sora. But he guessed he was wrong. Abu chittered with worry as he perched himself on Aladdin's shoulder.

"Jasmine, we'll need to be on alert." Aladdin told his lover before looking at Iago. "Iago, do you think you could fly around town and check for any suspicious figures? Say, a guy in a black coat?"

"Sure thing, Aladdin." Iago nodded before flapping his wings and flying away. Aladdin had a worried expression. Would the Organization be after Jasmine? What would they want? Did they want to make more Heartless?

One thing was for certain: this was bad news, and if they weren't prepared for what could happen next, it might grow worse.


	13. Treacherous Treasure

Dust flew up as the car sped through the desert. Genie had a big grin as he drove the vehicle.

Chase was enjoying the ride, whooping loudly. "Yeah!"

Jason glanced at him. "Hey, you better keep your mouth closed."

"Why?" Sand got into Chase's mouth. "I warned you." Jason deadpanned, resting his elbow on the side.

Chase coughed, gagging. "Water! Water!" He spat some sand out of his mouth at that.

Anne nervously clung onto the carpet as it flew across the sand. "Please stay low, please stay low..." she begged it quietly. Sora, however, was looking around for any signs of the ruins or the Heartless while he clung on. He had ridden the magic carpet before, so he didn't have anything to worry about.

Zafir was clinging onto his seat. He had never been in a strange vehicle like this before and was susprised at how fast it could go. It was faster than any horse he'd seen. It was like they were riding the wind, itself.

"So how much farther are these ruins, anyway?" Riku called over the wind. "Not that much, my friend. We're nearly there!" the Genie replied. Anne tried to look, but the sun was in her eyes. "I don't see any Heartless!" Sora informed the group.

"They might be at the ruins, then." Lea replied. "What's so special about the ruins?" Clair asked. "Some people believe a treasure is hidden there. But it's most likely a joke." Genie shrugged.

"One way to find out." Riku said. "Whatever's there, we'll have to be prepared."

"We can handle whatever it is!" Sora said confidently with a nod. "You sure about that?" Dylan questioned with uncertainty. Sora nodded. "Absolutely."

Clair looked around them. "Hey, I think I see something up ahead..."

Anne looked up, seeing something as well. Ahead, there were a couple of stone, old, broken looking arches. "There they are! The ruins of Sirrush." Genie pointed out. As they got closer, Anne saw some crumbling towers, too. "Whoa!" she exclaimed with surprise.

"It's a dump." Jason muttered with a shrug.

"That's what you might think at first. These here, they're just leading to the entrance!" Genie grinned, unfazed. "So, what was Sirrush, exactly?" Clair asked the Genie curiously.

"It used to be a great fortress. Not only was it a seat of power, but it had some of the finest goods anywhere." he replied. "Really?" Chase questioned. "Yep! It's been abandoned a looooooonnnng time after its fall, though." Genie informed him. "How'd it fall, though?" Chase pressed on, interested.

"The usual."

"The usual?" Chase repeated, a bit confused. "Power-hungry leaders, corruption in the hierarchy, rebellion... yada-yada-yada. Thankfully, the Sultan isn't like that!" Genie grinned.

"Sultan?" Chase asked.

Dylan shook his head at his brother. "The ruler of Agrabah." Zafir answered. "Jasmine is his daughter. He's much more pleasant than rulers of the past. He let his daughter married someone she truly loved, who happened to be Aladdin."

"I'd like to meet this Sultan if we get the chance." Anne said. "He seems like a really cool guy."

"Cool?" Zafir asked.

Anne thought about it. "Nice? Incredible?"

Zafir nodded. "He is."

Goofy then looked ahead and his jaw dropped. "Gawrsh! Look at that!"

The group looked at what Goofy was pointing at. "Whoa..." Sora breathed in awe as he looked up. Anne's eyes widened at what they saw. There was a massive, sandy brown arch with old designs all over the pillars holding it up. Through the entrance, they could see that it lead somewhere. Genie parked the car and the carpet skidded to a halt. "My friends, I give you the ruins of Sirrush!"

"Wow..." Lea muttered with surprise. In his time in the Organization, he never came across a place like this, before. Zafir's jaw dropped as his eyes fell upon the entrance. "So... this is Sirrush..."

"More like what's left of it." Lea said. They got out of the car as Sora and Anne got off the carpet. "I'll be waiting right here if ya need me! Just give a call or a signal and I'll come a-runnin'!" the Genie told them, leaning back and kicking his feet up on the dashboard, folding his arms behind his head. "Thanks, Genie!" Sora called over his shoulder.

"No problem!"

The group then headed into the ruins, unaware that they were being watched...

* * *

Upon going through the entrance, they headed down a set of steps, which led them to a large room. It had old marble tiles as the floor with sand covering half of it The walls looked old, worn, and cracked. Dylan's eyes widened when he saw some old, but still intact statues. "These statues are in really good condition." he noted.

Chase examined them. "If you don't count the couple of cracks here and there."

Zafir examined them as well. "Incredible..."

"I feel like I'm in an _Indiana Jones_ movie." Chase remarked.

"A movie? What's that?" Zafir asked.

"... never mind."

As they walked down a path, Kairi and Clair examined some old hieroglyphics on the walls, but the images were too faded out. Clair sighed. "It's a pity. I would've loved to have known what these said." she remarked before she and Kairi caught up to the group.

When the path ended, they saw it led to an outdoor area, revealing several remains of old buildings. It looked like something had blown them apart. Riku examined them. "These must have been massive buildings before the fall." he remarked.

Jason shoved his hands into his pockets. "Whatever." He had that feeling, however, that they were being watched. Living the lifestyle he did on Harthyn, it kept him safe for years. Being here was causing it to act up.

Donald was examining the buildings. "Barely anything here, guys..."

Sora glanced at a building up ahead. "Maybe there's something in there?"

"It's worth a shot." Lea shrugged before they headed towards it and they entered it together.

Inside were several long, dark halls. A couple were caved in, and others had spiderwebs across them. However, Jason noticed something about some of the tunnels. He approached one. "Guys? Notice anything strange about this tunnel?"

"Apart from the particular shadows?" Chase joked.

Jason shook his head. "There are no cobwebs here, while several of the other tunnels have them." He then wiped his finger along a statue. "This isn't that dusty. Someone check another statue for dust."

"If I sneeze, it's your fault." Anne joked as she went to check a statue. It was almost broken down to bits, so she had no idea what it used to be. Still, she wiped her finger along it. "It's filthy!"

"Then someone or something's been here." Riku said.

"And recently." Jason nodded.

"Wow, you paid attention in class?" Clair asked Jason. "Only if it's something good." he shrugged.

Sora looked at the tunnels. "You think there are Heartless down there?"

Jason just headed into the tunnel. "Hey, wait up!" Chase went after him and the others followed. The tunnel soon got dark, and hard to see. Anne could hear some rats scurrying around. She gasped and jumped a bit.

"Scared of rats?" Chase joked.

Riku casted a small fireball to illuminate the hall. "Thanks." Anne nodded at Riku gratefully. Jason shoved his hands into his pockets again as he glanced around. However, he could see a light at the end of the tunnel. He also noticed something else. "Stop. Nobody move." he warned. "Why?" Chase asked curiously.

He pointed to the floor. "Traps." He knelt in front of a tile and lightly brushed it with this finger. "This stone's not as well stepped on as the others. Clearly people avoid it for a reason." He pointed to some scratches in the floor. "My guess is those scratch marks come from whatever trap this spot triggers."

Chase sighed. "Phew. Thanks. That was a close one." He leaned against the wall, and there was a foreboding click. Everyone tensed when they heard it. "Chase!" Dylan and Anne growled with annoyance. "Sorry!" Chase quickly apologized, taking a step back.

Dylan's eye twitched. "Did you just trigger something?!"

"I-I don't know!" Chase held his hands up with surrender. A rumbling was heard and a wall next to them suddenly was pulled up, revealing another outdoor area.

"Oh. Whaddya know?" Chase commented. Just then, a growling was heard and several Heartless materialized in the outdoor area. Zafir jumped. "Heartless!" he gasped.

Anne noticed these Heartless were all desert themed. A couple of them appeared to be wearing turbans that covered their whole head except for their eyes, wearing a purple vest with blue pants and dark blue shoes and the heartless symbol on their chest. On their arms, they had gold and silver bracelets. They also carried a curved sword in their hands. There were some that resembled Large Bodies, except they had orange vests and wore turbans.

"Bandits and Fat Bandits..." Donald named them with a frown. "Great..."

Sora summoned his Keyblade. "Hope they're ready for this!"

"Zafir, get somewhere safe!" Kairi warned as she summoned Destiny's Embrace. Zafir nodded and ran to a safer place. Anne called her Keyblade forth and gripped it. "Anything we should know about these ones?!"

"Well, like Large Bodies, the Fat Bandits can't be hurt from the front, but they're vunerable at the back." Lea informed her. "And they breathe fire."

"They what?!" Right when she asked that, a Fat Bandit shot some fire at her. She yelped and jumped back and the fire hit the ground where she was previously standing at. She let out a sigh of relief, but had to dodge from another one.

Riku summoned Way to Dawn and shot a Blizzard spell at a Bandit, freezing it in place. Clair slashed at it a couple times and it fell to pieces, releasing the heart. Jason charged at a Bandit with his Keyblade and their blades clashed against each other. He gritted his teeth and kicked the Bandit's leg, forcing it to lose its balance. Jason slashed at it, destroying it and releasing the heart.

"Nice one!" Sora called.

Anne charged at a Fat Bandit, moving behind it. As it tried to turn around, Anne slashed at its back. The Fat Bandit couldn't stop her in time and ended up getting destroyed as the heart floated up into the air. "Yes!"

"Hey, fatty!" Chase taunted a Fat Bandit as he ran behind it. The Fat Bandit tried to turn around, but as it did, Chase ran behind it again quickly. "Over here!"

While the Fat Bandit was distracted, Lea ran past Chase and sliced the Fat Bandit's back, whacking away at it until it vanished into darkness, releasing the heart. The pyro looked back at Chase and smirked, giving a thumbs up.

Dylan was clashing blades with a Bandit. In the middle of a sword lock, Dylan got an idea and had his sword shoot lightning through it while it was still connected with the Bandit's. This caused it to be electrocuted and using this opportunity, Dylan slashed at it. The Bandit dissolved, causing a crystallized heart to float up.

Jason was busy facing off with another Bandit. He slashed at it a couple times, forcing it back. Kairi delivered the finishing blow from behind, releasing the heart.

Sora charged at a Fat Bandit with Riku. Together, they moved behind and sliced it in unison. Sora grinned and fist bumped Riku, who had an equally triumphant look.

However, a Bandit charged at Jason. The teenager got ready for its attack, but a pot suddenly came crashing from above and landed on the Bandit, dazing it for a moment. Jason looked up and saw that Zafir had knocked it off from a ledge.

"Awesome!" Chase told him. Jason was a bit surprised, but quickly disposed of the Bandit, destroying the last Heartless in the area.

Anne sighed in relief. "At least it wasn't a giant boulder..." she muttered. Chase couldn't help but hum the _Indiana Jones_ theme at that while Zafir climbed down. "Good thinking on your part." Lea told Zafir. "Thank you." Zafir nodded.

Now that they had a chance to breathe, Kairi looked around. "Whoa..."

They took a look around. The outdoor area had several, large pillars with ancient designs on them. There was a mini sand waterfall outside the area they were in.

On some ledges were old, broken down statues with some pots lying next to them. "It's beautiful." Clair remarked.

Anne nodded in agreement. Chase let out an impressed whistle.

"Fancy schmancy."

"Jason." Clair scolded. Anne ignored Jason's comment and examined their surroundings. The place looked rather amazing, if it weren't for the sand everywhere. She knelt down and swept some sand out of the way on the ground, finding some sort of ancient language engraved in it. She couldn't make out what it said, exactly, so she moved on to look at something else.

Dylan glanced up at the pillars. Like everything else, they seemed old. They were sandy brown, extending up to twenty to thirty feet high, where they were broken at the top. Like several other things in these ruins, they had images and writing he couldn't make out engraved into them. By the way they were positioned, he deduced that they were either for decoration or they once held up a domed roof.

Kairi had gone to the edge, viewing the sand waterfall just outside. She gently ran her hand through it and the sand flowed through her fingers.

Riku went to take a look at some of the items in the area, as well. He found a broken piece of a statue and picked it up, examining it. "I wonder what this goes to." he said to himself curiously. He searched around the area before finding a statue with a piece of it missing. Riku looked at the piece he had before placing it on the statue. At first, nothing happened. But then, statue sank into the ground and a click was heard as another passageway was revealed.

"Should we go down it?" Chase asked. They just looked at him. "... is that a yes?" he asked. Zafir started down, then the rest of the group followed him down as well.

* * *

Down, down, down they went.

Zafir was amazed from what he was seeing as he went down. He had no idea the ruins of Sirrush would be like this! Part of him wondered if there really was treasure hidden down here. If there was, he hoped that it would be used for good.

There were plenty of cobwebs down here.

Anne had to move some out of the way as they headed down the steps. She failed to notice a large spider resting on her shoulder. Goofy froze because he _did_ notice it. "Uh... Anne?"

Anne paused in place. "Hm?"

"You got a spider on your shoulder."

Anne gasped, then slowly looked at her shoulder, and when she saw it, she yelled in surprise. "Get it off! Get it off!" she panicked. She bumped into the others as she tried to get the spider off. Lea held her still and Dylan quickly dusted the spider off. Anne sighed with relief. "Oh, thank you!" she said gratefully. Dylan nodded in reply. "Just be glad it wasn't a cobra." Zafir said.

Clair looked at him. "What's a cobra?"

"A snake."

She tensed at that. "Snake?!" she panicked.

"Clair, relax. There's no snakes here." Jason told his cousin.

"You're afraid of snakes?" Anne questioned, still trying to recover from the jumpscare. Clair nodded, shuddering. "Evil, slimy things."

"She's not afraid. She has a phobia." Lea deduced. "Oh..." Anne blinked.

Clair took a deep breath as they resumed walking. "... you're afraid of spiders?" she asked the brunette. "Just big ones... but I don't have a phobia of them. I'm okay as long as they aren't on me." Anne replied. Some scorpions moved by on the floor. Chase flinched when they scurried across. Thankfully, the scorpions ignored them.

Finally, they came to the end of the stairs. Sora noticed it felt more humid than it did upstairs. Chase looked around and his jaw dropped at the room they saw. "Whoa..."

The others were shocked as well. In the room, there were massive amounts of gold. Gold coins, gold chalices, gold bracelets, gold necklaces, as well as pearls, emeralds, diamonds, jades, rubies, etc.

"No... way..." was all Lea could get out as his eyes bugged out of his head. It was an amazing sight to see.

"The rumors were true..." Zafir gasped. Zafir started forward, but Jason grabbed the back of his tunic. "Hold it. It's too easy."

"Why?"

"They're just sitting there. And it's too quiet..."

As he said this, Jason got the feeling they were being watched again.

"Nobody move." a gravelly voice suddenly was heard. They froze and turned around, seeing three men behind them with turbans and scarves covering their faces. They also wore vests and baggy pants with pointed shoes.

"Uh... Hi?" Goofy waved at them. One pointed a scimitar at him. Goofy yelped and held his hands up in surrender. "Get moving." the man ordered.

Reluctantly, the group stepped into the room. The three men kept their eye on them as they stepped in as well. "We were actually going into the ruins, ourselves. Then you showed up. I must thank you, actually, because you lead us right to the treasure we've been searching for." one of them, who Sora presumed was the leader, said.

"We are not interested in this treasure." Riku shook his head.

"Well, we _are_ interested." the leader retorted, keeping his sword trained on them.

"There's gotta a reason this treasure was buried deep." Jason crossed his arms.

"We have travelled miles for this treasure. And you lead us right to it. We aren't going empty handed." the lead bandit sneered.

Jason didn't like this guy. The leader looked at the gold with narrowed eyes. "At last... The legendary treasure of Sirrush. And it's finally ours for the taking."

Zafir shook his head. "No, this could be used for the greater good! It could help Agrabah! Help the poor people!" he protested.

One of the bandits grabbed him. "Shut up, kid."

"Let him go." Jason growled. "Why do you want this treasure?"

"With this treasure, we shall be as rich as Solomon."

"You're just being greedy!" Donald quacked. Sora and Goofy just gave him a look at that. Donald noticed their looks. "What?"

The man shoved Zafir down to the ground. The boy grunted, but got back up to his feet. "You lot. Get this treasure out of here." The leader pointed his weapon at them. "And no tricks."

Jason crossed his arms. "We're not doing anything for you."

"Yeah!" Sora frowned. One of the bandits grabbed Zafir and held a scimitar to his throat. "Then I guess his life means nothing to you." he threatened. Zafir's eyes widened fearfully as the blade was held to his throat. "No, don't hurt him!" Most of the group protested. "Let him go!" Donald squawked angrilly.

"Then get this treasure out!"

Reluctantly, the group moved towards the treasure as Zafir was shoved down to the ground. Zafir gulped and held his neck with relief. The leader smirked, failing to notice that a pot behind him was moving. "With this treasure, no one will oppose us. Men, we're about to become more powerful than the Sultan of Agrabah. They will have to answer to us!"

Anne noticed something behind the leader and her eyes widened. A bandit gasped. "Boss, behind you!" he exclaimed.

The leader turned around just in time to see the pot sprout legs and a set of yellow eyes could be seen through a crack. "Pot Spider!" Goofy gasped as he pulled out his shield. The Pot Spider lunged at the leader, who yelled in surprise as it tackled him. "Get it off me!"

The other two bandits rushed to help their leader, but were tackled by two other Pot Spiders. The leader tried to grab a piece of the treasure before the Pot Spider stabbed one of its legs in his chest. Anne flinched at the sight as the leader went limp. His heart floated out a moment later. Then the Heartless reached out and swallowed the heart. The same thing happened to the other two bandits, who weren't fast enough to defend themselves.

A moment later, their bodies vanished. Zafir was horrified seeing that. He heard what the Heartless could do... But he never knew they could do this...

Sora quickly summoned his Keyblade. Get ready!" he warned as the Heartless set their sights on them. Behind them, three new Bandit Heartless appeared.

"Figures that this treasure is cursed." Chase said.

"Since when did you believe in curses?" Dylan asked.

"Ever since I gained the ability to literally run like the wind and shadowy demons destroyed our home!"

Anne summoned her Keyblade quickly. "Whether the treasure really is cursed or not, we gotta fight these things!"

"Maybe they were attracted by the bandits' darkness." Riku said. "The greed in their hearts would've brought them."

"Why?" Zafir asked.

Riku looked at him. "Greed is a form of darkness."

Zafir's eyes widened at that. "And it lured the Heartless to them like vultures to a carcass." Dylan summed up. Chase gulped.

Kairi summoned her Keyblade again. "They're coming!"

A Pot Spider scurried towards Anne, but she quickly summoned her Keyblade and knocked it back. It landed on its side, causing it great difficulty as it tried to get back up to its feet. "Time to smash some pots." Jason declared.

Clair, thinking quickly, shot a Plasma Bolt at a Pot Spider. It knocked it back. Jason charged at one alone. He tackled it onto a pile of gold and summoned his Keyblade before slamming it into the Heartless. "Oh yeah!" he exclaimed as the Heartless broke apart from a second hit and the heart was released. "How do ya like that?!"

He was suddenly tackled from behind. "Gah!"

Quickly, Riku slashed at the Heartless, destroying it and saving Jason. He held out his hand to Jason.

Reluctantly, the tough guy grabbed Riku's arm and got to his feet. Jason then acted like nothing happened before charging at another Pot Spider.

Chase darted around to try and get behind a Heartless, but he had a hard time due to the many treasures blocking his path. "Couldn't they have had a little more organization here?" He complained as he zipped around. Anne slammed her Keyblade into a Pot Spider three times, shattering it. Goofy slammed his shield into a Pot Spider, shattering it as well. Chase was playing tag with another. And by tag, he was trying to shatter the pot while avoiding the legs. "Thunder!" Sora shot a Thunder spell at one of the Pot Spiders, destroying them and releasing another heart. Chase grabbed something from a pile of treasure and hit a Pot Spider with it. "YAH!"

The Pot Spider stumbled, then set its sights on him. He grinned nervously. "Uh... nice spider-thing?"

It scurried towards him, but Dylan slashed through the Pot Spider with his sword. "That counts as mine!" Chase protested. "Hey, I saved you!" Dylan retorted.

"But I hit it with this thing!"

Lea rolled his eyes as the two argued while he slammed his Keyblade into another Pot Spider, setting it aflame with a fireball before it shattered, releasing the heart. "You both got it, okay?!"

They didn't get a chance to answer as they both had to get back into the battle. Kairi shot a Light spell at a Pot Spider Heartless, destroying it quickly. Jason was tackled by a Heartless that used to be a bandit. Clair saved him by slashing at it from behind, knocking it off. She finished it off with a Blizzard spell.

Zafir's eyes widened. He noticed a scimitar lying on the ground, so he quickly picked it up. Without thinking, he attacked a Heartless with it. He and the Bandit ended up locking blades. Zafir struggled with it. He never used a sword before. How was he supposed to do this?!

The sword then got knocked out of his hand. His eyes widened and he stumbled away as it slowly approached him, ready to attack. A sword then appeared through its chest. The Bandit froze before dissolving while the heart floated up into the air. Zafir was surprised to see that it was Dylan who had saved him. "You okay?!" he asked.

Zafir shakily nodded as Dylan went to attack another Pot Spider. Zafir picked up the scimitar and glanced at it. He might need to learn how to use this thing. He took a deep breath and attacked a Pot Spider himself, letting out a cry. The Heartless scuttled towards him, but he slammed the scimitar into it again. The Pot Spider stumbled away, but Donald fired an Aero spell at one, sending it flying up into the air.

Riku jumped up and slashed through it, destroying it. Zafir's eyes widened when he saw a Bandit about to attack Anne. "Look out!"

Anne whirled around and gasped, quickly throwing up her Keyblade as a shield, thankfully blocking the attack. She struggled to push it back, but then Sora slashed it from behind, destroying it and releasing the heart, defeating the last Heartless in the room. Anne sighed with relief. "Thanks..."

Zafir panted now that things had settled down. Once he caught his breath, he looked at the treasure. He wondered if they should take it with them. "Should we take this with us?" he questioned.

Chase shrugged. "I dunno. The bandits were pretty obsessed with takin' it for themselves."

"But it could help the people of Agrabah." Zafir stated. Riku glanced at the treasure as well before letting out a sigh. "Too risky. Think about it. If word got out that the treasure existed, people would be fighting over it." he added. "And that would bring more Heartless."

Zafir thought about it for a moment. "... you're right..." he admitted. If word got out to the wrong people, it probably would end terribly.

"It's probably best this treasure stays lost." Kairi nodded. Zafir let out a sad sigh at that. "Hey, cheer up. There are other treasures out there." Sora told the boy with a smile. "We'll find a way to help the people of Agrabah."

Zafir looked at his new friend at that and slowly, these words brought reassurance to him. He nodded. "Let's go."

Clair glanced back at the treasure. It was probably for the best they left it to rest here. "Let's get out of here."

With that, they left the room, going back up the set of stairs, leaving behind the lost treasure of Sirrush.

* * *

Upon arriving at the top, they found themselves back in the outdoor area. Chase stretched his arms. "Ahh..." he sighed with relief.

Lea breathed in some fresh air. "That place was hotter down there than it is up here! And stuffy!"

"Definitely." Dylan nodded, wiping some sweat off his forehead. Clair just shuddered. "I"m glad we're not down there anymore..."

Sora took a step forward, but he froze in place as there was an aura of silver and black that materialized in some places of the area. To their surprise, several figures appeared. They appeared to be humanoid figures with long, gangly arms with two black wristbands on each arm. Also, they had blue lines running down the sides. Their mouth appeared to be a zipper and a symbol between a cross and a heart was on the top of their heads.

The new members of the group were confused, but Sora and co. were horrified. "NOBODIES?!" Donald gasped.

"B-But how?!" Kairi asked. "Nobodies?" Zafir asked, blinking in confusion. These looked nothing like the Heartless...

"Wait, THOSE are Nobodies?!" Chase asked with surprise. These things looked freaky!

"A version of them, yeah! Nobodies are the remains of those who lost their heart to darkness!" Lea said to Zafir as he got his Keyblade ready.

"But... how can they be here?!" Sora asked. "What are you talking about?" Jason questioned him. "We... we thought the Nobodies were gone when we defeated the first Organization several months ago..." Sora replied.

"It must be because of the Heartless attacking again." Riku deduced, getting Way of Dawn ready. "Anything we should know about fighting them?!" Jason asked impatiently. "These kinds right here are Dusks, so they slip around a bit. They're pretty weak, but are really bad in groups. They're vunerable to Fire and Thunder magic! Be ready to block!" Sora warned before charging forward at a Dusk.

She shot it at a Dusk. The Dusk couldn't move out of the way fast enough and ended up getting destroyed by it. Jason charged at a Dusk himself, slashing at it. The Dusk stumbled back a bit. Growling, Jason attacked it again, making it dissolve into nothing. Another suddenly latched onto him. "Gah! Get off me!"

Chase ran to help him, punching the Dusk. However, more swarmed over Jason. Zafir slashed at some of them with his sword to help him. Some turned their attention to the orphan. "Leave him alone! Fight me!" he challenged them. One wrapped themselves around him, trapping him and tackling him against one of the pillars, forcing him to drop the scimitar. "Agh!"

Sora charged to help them, slashing through the Dusks. They tried to attack him, but he sliced right through them. They vanished in wisps of gray and black clouds. Jason then fought his way out, shoving a Dusk off him. Sora got another off him. The Dusk squirmed around before Sora finished it off.

Jason gasped for breath as he sat up. "I had it under control."

"No, you didn't." Sora deadpanned before he was suddenly tackled by a Dusk himself. Sora yelled in surprise and tried to whack it off. Riku came to his side and slashed it off him.

Anne was facing off against a Dusk by herself. It swished back and forth as it looked at her. "Back off!" She fired a Fire spell at the Dusk. The Nobody made a noise of what sounded like agony before it stumbled back. Anne stabbed it with her Keyblade, destroying it.

"Hold still!" Dylan exclaimed at a Dusk as it shimmied away. Remembering his blade, he shot lightning at the Nobody. The Dusk was electrocuted and fell to the ground, so Dylan slashed at it a few times, causing it to vanish.

"Beat that!" he exclaimed.

Lea snapped his fingers and a fireball appeared at the tip of his pointer finger. "Hope you like hardball!" he exclaimed before throwing it. It hit a Dusk and burnt it, destroying it. "That's how it's done. Got it memorized?"

"Whoa." Chase commented before zipping past a Dusk. "Missed me! Missed me! Now you gotta- wait, don't kiss me!"

Dylan deadpanned his brother. "... seriously? You're joking at a time like this?!" he asked. Chase shrugged. "It helps me to focus!"

Dylan's eyes widened as he noticed something, so he quickly shoved his brother down and dove down with him. "Look out!"

Another Dusk Nobody swished past them. "They're really flexible!"

"I can see that!" Chase retorted as he got back up.

Jason slashed at a Dusk, but it bent and dodged. He growled and swung again. He managed to whack it, this time. The Nobody stumbled a bit. Jason swung at it again, and on that hit, it vanished into nothingness. The tough guy pumped his fist. "Yeah!"

That was the last Dusk in the area. Dylan panted as he sheathed his sword and sat down. "Man... that was tough..."

"You're telling me." Anne panted, dismissing her Keyblade and wiping some sweat off her forehead. Chase wheezed. "Can we find some shade...?"

Jason heard a crack. He looked up and saw a piece of a pillar start to break off, falling towards... Chase!

"LOOK OUT!" He quickly yanked him out of the way. It crashed where he used to be, shattering to pieces. "Whoa!" Chase gasped. Everyone's eyes widened with horror.

Chase panted as he tried to calm down. "Oh man... thank you!"

Jason looked away. "You're... welcome... Let's just get outta here..."

However, Sora was still worried. "I can't believe it... The Nobodies are back..."

"This is bad." Riku thought out loud. "I don't understand. What's going on?" Clair asked. "Something very bad." Goofy told her. "We need to get back to Agrabah. The Nobodies might be there." Sora told the others seriously. He then took off running through the tunnel with the others quickly following.

"Sora! Wait up! Be careful!" Donald yelled.

"Genie!" Sora called out.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the ruins, Genie sat in the car with the magic carpet playing cards. The Genie was dressed in what looked like poker clothes, complete with a visor.

"Soooo... Got any fours, buddy?" Genie asked, peering over his set of cards.

Before Carpet could do anything, the others came running out of the entrance to the ruins of Sirrush and ran up to them. "Genie! Genie!" Sora called. Genie made the cards vanish and his appearance returned to normal. "Hey, Sora! What's up?! Find any treasure in there?" he grinned, leaning on the side.

"We need to get back to Agrabah. Now!" Donald told him.

The Genie nodded and quickly started the car up. "Hop in!"

"How fast can you get us there?!" Sora asked as he and Anne got on the magic carpet while the rest hopped into the car.

"As fast as possible!"

"Then get us there!" Riku said.

"You got it! Hold on tight, everyone! Next stop, Agrabah!" Genie whooped. Together, they sped away from Sirrush. Sora held onto the magic carpet tighter than Anne was as it flew as fast as it could.

Anne almost flew off the end of it, but managed to grab onto one of the carpet's tassels. "WHOA!" she exclaimed as she held on frantically. Sora looked back and his eyes widened seeing her practically dangling like a reed in the wind. While holding on with one hand, he held his free hand out to Anne.

"Take it! Quick!"

Quickly, Anne grabbed his wrist and Sora pulled her back on. Anne sighed with relief. "That was close..."

Sora nodded, then squinted his eyes to avoid sand getting in them as he looked ahead. They had to get there. They had to make sure Aladdin and Jasmine were safe. He may have felt a bit paranoid, but they had to be sure.


	14. Sands of Time

**Aurora Kara belongs to E.X.S.O.S.**

* * *

After what seems to be hours of speeding to them, they arrived back at Agrabah. The Carpet collapsed on the ground as soon as they were at the front gates while the Genie parked the car. Anne quickly got off. "What's wrong with it?"

Genie changed into a doctor's outfit and looked over Carpet.

"Hm... It appears the patient is suffering from exhaustion." he remarked in a formal tone.

Sora knelt down to the carpet. "You get some rest, Carpet. You've earned it."

Carpet seemed to give a thumbs up using one of the tassels. "I'm gonna go see if everything's okay from above! See ya!" Genie flew up into the air.

The group then quickly entered Agrabah. Surprisingly, there were no Heartless or Nobodies about...

Dylan's eyes widened, then he sighed. "Whew... Looks like Agrabah's okay..." he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Keep an eye out, guys." Riku warned. "Just because you can't see them doesn't mean that they're not there."

Quickly, they ran throughout the streets of Agrabah. Sora looked left and right for any signs of the Heartless or the Nobodies. However, there were none... People seemed to be going about their business. It was like they had absolutely nothing to worry about.

"There's not any of 'em here..." Jason said with a shrug. Riku shook his head. "We need to keep looking." he insisted as he kept running.

Still, there wasn't a trace of any of the creatures at all. It was almost eerie...

Soon, the top of the palace was in sight. Seeing the towers, Sora picked up the pace and ran faster, running past several civilians, some who let out shouts of annoyance as he did. Donald, Goofy, and the others had to weave their way past them in order to keep up with the spiky haired teen. Zafir was able to slip through easier than most of them due to having to escape from merchants for stealing food most of his life.

By the time they caught up with Sora, they found he was just about to reach the palace gates. He screeched to a halt and placed his hands on his knees, panting as he tried to catch his breath. Aladdin, who had been standing at the front gates with Jasmine, rose an eyebrow when he noticed him. "Sora? Back so soon? What's wrong?"

"Has... has there been any Heartless... o-or Nobodies here...?" Sora panted as he looked up at his friend, standing up straight.

Jasmine blinked, but shook her head. "No... there hasn't been any here at all. Why?"

Sora stood up as the others went to his side. "We... We were at the Sirrush ruins and... we fought some Heartless there... and when we were leaving, Nobodies appeared!" he explained. Aladdin's eyes widened. "Are you serious?!" he asked. "Yeah. They're back... and that's bad news..." Sora nodded grimly. If the Nobodies were back as well, then this meant that the Organization, that _Xehanort_ had another trick up his sleeve. He was after the seven pure lights...

The red and black clad teen looked at Aladdin. "Aladdin, Agrabah needs to be on high alert now that the Nobodies are back."

Aladdin nodded. "You got it."

Sora then sighed. "And... And you and the guards need to watch out for Jasmine. Organization XIII might come for her."

Aladdin and Jasmine's eyes widened with horror. "Why?" Chase asked. Riku spoke in a hushed tone so only they could hear. "Remember what we told you about back at Merlin's? About the Princesses of Heart...? She's one of them."

"WHAT?!" Chase exclaimed. Riku quickly covered his mouth. "Quiet!"

Chase tried to talk the second his mouth was free, so Donald shoved an apple in his mouth. "Shut up!"

"Mmph!" Chase gagged a bit from it. Dylan looked at Donald. "Was that really necessary?" he asked while trying to help his brother get the apple out of his mouth.

"I think so." Jason said before Donald shoved a melon slice into his mouth. Jason gagged as he struggled to get it out. "What was that for?!" Anne asked.

"Payback for earlier!" Donald replied. Clair went to help her cousin get the slice out of his mouth so he could breathe.

Anne gave Donald a look. "What? I had to shut Chase up!" he defended his actions.

"And Jason?"

Donald just crossed his arms. "That was for calling me Big Mouth!" he said as Jason finally got the large melon slice out of his mouth. By this time, Chase got the apple out of his mouth and was eating it. Sora shook his head before looking back at Aladdin.

"We'll keep an eye on things here." Aladdin told him.

"Keep an eye on Jasmine, too." Sora nodded.

Aladdin nodded. "I will. I'm not letting anything hurt her." he declared. "I still have my sword, ya know."

"Better keep it on hand." Riku advised him. "If you see anybody in a black hooded coat, be ready. These guys absolutely cannot get to Jasmine."

"The guards will be put on high alert." Jasmine said. "It should be your best guards. There's no telling what Organization XIII could try." Sora warned the princess.

Jasmine nodded. "Understood."

It was then Genie flew down. "No sign of any of those critters!" he announced loudly. "Thank goodness." Clair sighed with relief.

"Genie, will you help keep Jasmine safe if anything goes sideways here?" Aladdin asked his friend.

Genie changed his appearance and looked like a knight in shining armor. "I shall help protect the fair lady!" he said, using a thick accent as he lifted the helmet's visor up a bit. Anne couldn't help but smile at that. Clair giggled a bit at the Genie's antics. Abu chittered as he rested on Aladdin's shoulder.

Aladdin looked at the monkey. "You wanna help too, Abu?" he questioned his monkey friend. Abu nodded vigorously. "Well... You could help keep a lookout for any danger! How does that sound, buddy?"

Abu nodded again, chittering. Iago flew over to Aladdin. "Hey, Aladdin! What about me?! What can I do, huh?"

"Well, if you sight any danger, you could come and warn us." Aladdin suggested. "You got it, Al." Iago nodded.

Zafir looked at his new friends. "Is this Organization really that dangerous...?"

This earned a nod from Riku. Zafir gulped, feeling a bit nervous now. "You'll need to keep a fly on things." Goofy told him.

"An eye!" Donald corrected him.

Goofy nodded. "Right. Eye."

Sora cracked a smile at that. "Oh! Sora! I almost forgot!" the Genie exclaimed. "I found something while cruisin' over town and I thought you might like it!"

The spiky haired teen blinked in surprise. "Really?" he inquired.

"Yep! Take a look at this!" He showed him a floating, golden orb. Sora's eyes widened. "Whoa..." he awed at the glowing orb. "What is that?" Anne questioned with confusion. "It's a little somethin' that can help ya in future fights!" Genie answered with a grin. "I _may_ have added a little something extra to it."

Sora reached out to it and touched the orb. When he made contact with it, it seemed to grow brighter as it appeared to go into Sora before the glow dimmed down and the orb had vanished. "Whoa..." Dylan commented with surprise. "Shiny." Chase joked, finishing the apple he was eating.

"What was that...?" Goofy asked curiously. Sora made a note to himself to try out whatever he was given later. "Thanks, Genie." he thanked his friend with a nod. "No problem, Sora! Now, you go out there and kick some bad guy butt!" Genie grinned, then he changed his appearance once again, this time looking like a cowboy, donning a cowboy hat atop his head with a lasso in his hand. "We'll round up any varmints in these here parts while you take care of their posse." he said, using a thick southern accent.

"You got it!" Sora nodded, giving a thumbs up.

Zafir, feeling a bit out of place, spoke up. "Is... is there any way I could help with this?" he questioned. "I know some people who could help keep an eye out for anything out of place."

Clair nodded at that. "That'd be very helpful."

Jason actually nodded in agreement at that. "Zafir, whatever you do, don't go spreading the word about Jasmine and..." Riku trailed off, then whispering the next part. "The Princess of Heart."

Zafir nodded, understanding that this was a serious matter. "I won't tell them everything. I swear." he promised. Kairi reached into her pouch and pulled out a potion. "Here. If you get hurt, this should help you." She handed the bottle of the green liquid to him. Zafir eyed it curiously, but accepted the gift. "Thank you, Kairi." he nodded in thanks. He then looked at Jason and held his hand out. "No hard feelings for earlier?"

Jason shook his hand. "Nah." he muttered so only Zafir could hear.

"You be safe." Sora told him, before informing them, "We'll be back soon."

"Good luck out there." Aladdin nodded, wishing the best of luck for his friend.

With that, Sora and the group turned around and left the palace gates. Zafir watched as his new friends walked away. He actually felt a bit sad to see them go. They were some of the few people who actually were kind to him, even after an attempted theft. He hoped that maybe later, he could repay that kindness to them.

As they walked towards the entrance to leave, Clair remarked, "This is an amazing place. All the people, all the buildings..."

"If you don't count all that sand." Chase joked.

"Not to mention it has some pretty interesting people here." Dylan added. "Like Aladdin and that Genie guy."

"Genie is anything but ordinary, believe me. We've never had a friend like him, before." Sora commented with a smile as they stepped out of the gates.

"Sora? What if the Organization comes for Jasmine?" Goofy asked.

"Then we'll be there to stop them." Sora declared while they walked into the desert, leaving Agrabah.

* * *

Nash glanced left and right as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. This was all very strange to him. There was not a sign of anybody he knew anywhere. It was almost like he had landed on some other world...

He suddenly got a bad feeling as he froze in place, hearing a twig snap nearby. He could hear footsteps up ahead, as well. Thinking quickly, he dove behind a bush and crouched down into the leaves to hide himself.

As he hid, he was shocked to see a hooded figure just like from before approaching another in the same black coat.

"Report." the first hooded figure said with a sinister tone in his voice.

"We are still searching for good vessels. So far, nothing has turned up." the other man in the coat replied. "The Heartless have been moving onto the worlds."

"Do you have anything else to report?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. That boy that willingly gave into the darkness? He's been spotted."

Nash did everything he could to stay still as he listened. Who were they talking about...?

"Oh?" the first figure mused. "Number III has reported last sighting him in Halloween Town. He was described as having a gleam in his eye, as well as blonde hair and a smirk that seemed to be on his face at certain times."

Nash had to bite his tongue to keep himself from making any noise. That had to be Josh they were talking about! But what was this Halloween Town? It sounded like something from a TV film.

"He could prove to be useful to us. Send some Dusks to collect him." the first hooded man ordered. "Of course. He may not cooperate at first, though." the other man nodded. "But I'm sure he'll come around, soon. Perhaps Xemnas shall even collect him before they do."

Nash had to get away. He had to find a way to this Halloween Town. When the two hooded men walked away, Nash quietly made his way out of the area and started looking for another way to go. However, as he was about halfway away from the area, several creatures appeared. His eyes widened. These were the same ones that attacked the high school!

He took a step back in shock as they eyed him like a special type of dessert with their yellow eyes. Without thinking, Nash grabbed a stick and held it with both hands. "S-Stay back!" he warned them. One lunged at him, though. The teenager yelled with surprise before whacking it, knocking it to the side. Seeing more were coming, he turned tail and ran away. Nash panicked while he ran as fast as he could. The black, yellow eyed creatures chased after him relentlessly.

As he ran, a dark portal suddenly appeared on the path in front of him, much to his surprise. Before he could stop himself, he ended up tripping and falling right into the portal. Almost immediately, it closed up, leaving no trace of him in the area.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the world of Halloween Town, Josh Harrington was walking down a dark, cobblestone road. His outfit had changed to a sort of costume. He seemed to resemble a monstrous version of a vampire. He had long fangs, red glowing eyes, sharp claws, and his normal outfit seemed to be tattered in some places. "What is this place?" he muttered to himself.

The area was dark and almost creepy, but it didn't creep him out. The trees had no leaves on them as they stretched up to the dark sky. He actually kind of liked it here.

He let a smirk appear on his face. It actually interested him more than his home... he felt the same interest he did when those things appeared at his school. He felt like staying here as he stuck close to the shadows. This place felt like a horror film... he loved it. This darkness... so... enlightening.

Josh felt more powerful. _Invincible_ even. And no one could know what he was up to. He felt much more powerful than he did back at his stupid school.

He looked at his hand and clenched it. He smirked. "I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this... if only I could test it."

Josh's hand became surrounded by darkness. He then punched a tombstone. It created a domino effect and knocked several down, each landing on the ground with a thud. He smirked to himself at the results. "Timber." he remarked. If he could knock them down with just that, he wondered what else he could do...

"You have potential."

Josh rose an eyebrow and turned around. "Who said that?" he frowned.

"I did."

Josh noticed a man in a black, hooded coat standing several feet away from him. "And who are you? Give me a good reason why I shouldn't tear you apart."

"You do not fully understand your new powers. I can help you understand. Control them. Use them."

"Oh really? What's your name?" Josh demanded the mysterious man, scowling. The man just lowered his hood, revealing long, silver hair that went past his shoulders, golden eyes, and tanned skin. "You can call me... Xemnas."

Josh just stared at the man and narrowed his eyes. "Xemnas?" he repeated.

"That is right. And I can show you the true power of darkness. With our guidance, you can crush anyone who stands in your way. Who ever stood in your way." Xemnas told the teenager.

Josh took a moment to think about it. If anyone who had challenged him before had survived, maybe... he could show them why he was better than them. "Once I learn all I want to know, I'm gone." he told the man.

Xemnas nodded. "Agreed."

Josh slowly walked towards him. Xemnas smirked as he did. "You've made the right choice, boy."

"My name is Josh." the teenager retorted.

"Very well... Josh."

Xemnas then held his hand out to the side, opening up a portal of darkness. He stepped into it with Josh following him. As the portal closed behind them, Josh let a smirk creep up on his face. He couldn't _wait_ to test out this new power...

* * *

"... anything yet?" Sora asked.

"Nope... no sign of anything..." Donald replied as he squinted his eyes while piloting the Gummi Ship.

Sora sighed and slumped in his seat. As Donald flew the ship, he couldn't help but wonder about the thing Genie had given him earlier. What did it mean by it helping him out in battle? Just what was it, anyway?

Jason tapped his fingers on the dashboard out of boredom. Anne, once again, had her headphones on with her arms crossed. She didn't want to get involved with arguments that Jason or Donald might cause. Clair was looking through her books again.

Riku was looking out the window. He kept thinking over all they knew. The Heartless AND Nobodies were back now... and the Organization was back as well...

The silver haired teen looked at the newest members. This was going to be tough. They were all newbies that were sucked into this. Not to mention one of them was not that... cooperative.

What were they going to do with Jason? He doesn't listen to anyone...

Lea let out a sigh as he folded his arms behind his head, striking up a conversation with Chase. "So, Chase, you like that speed of yours?"

Chase smiled and nodded in reply. "Yeah, I do. Why?"

"You know that wind can help increase fire, right?" Lea asked him.

"Yeah... Why?" Chase questioned. "It can help a lot in battle! Your speed can create winds, plus with my fireballs, they'll be sure to take down Heartless that are vulnerable to fire quickly!" Lea said. "Don't get all pyro right now, Lea." Sora told the red haired man jokingly.

"Are we there, yet?" Jason asked.

"No." Donald retorted. Jason grumbled to himself at that. Dylan was tapping his foot as he sat in his seat. Anne still had her headphones on as she looked out the window at the vast space. In her opinion, listening to music was much better than listening to Donald and Jason go at it like they did earlier. And it didn't argue back. Just another good thing about music.

As she listened to her music, Riku glanced over at her. She was gonna have to listen to some of their conversations. They might be important. If she didn't take the headphones off more often, she'd miss out on some important information.

Clair was looking at some of the spells in the books she had been given. She wondered which one would be the most useful in a battle. She just hoped that they'd help, if she was able to learn how to use them. She also wondered what the other worlds out there were like. She glanced up from her books and looked out the window, noticing something up ahead. "Hey, what's that?" she asked. Anne, noticing everyone's attention was directed at something, took her headphones off curiously and headed over to the window to get a better look.

They could see that it was a world that had a castle, a rose floating inside a glass jar, and a type of forest surrounding it. "Hey, isn't that Beast's Castle...?" Sora asked curiously.

"It is!" Goofy smiled, perking up at the sight.

Riku remembered the Beast, and how their encounter at Hollow Bastion went. He just hoped the Beast wouldn't get angry seeing him...

"You think Belle and Beast are doing okay?" Sora wondered. "Let's find out." Donald said.

Anne had a curious look. Why would someone be called 'Beast'?

Donald then piloted the Gummi Ship towards the world and Anne scrambled back to her seat as it dove downward. Looking out the windows, Dylan could see a darkened sky. "Hey, why is it so dark here?" he questioned.

It's usually pretty dark whenever we come here." Sora explained. "It's almost like it's always night time here."

The Gummi Ship then landed on a stone path that lead to a large set of wooden gates. Once they had landed, the platform had opened up, leading outside. One by one, they all emptied out of the colorful spaceship. Clair stared at the massive castle that poked out above the tall gates. "Whoa..." she gasped with awe. It was... amazing! She never saw a building like that before.

"Wait till ya see it up close." Goofy smiled as Sora opened up the wooden gates, revealing the large courtyard. Anne's jaw dropped as she looked around.

"Holy..." she breathed in shock. It was quite beautiful, despite the dark sky. There were several statues in the area. The ground had details of the design in the center of the place. And this was just the courtyard?!

Jason glanced around the area. He looked at the grotesque gargoyles in the courtyard. "Creepy place." he remarked. Dylan actually nodded in agreement. "It looks pretty gloomy here..."

"Almost like a Halloween castle." Chase joked. Dylan shook his head. "Really?"

Sora took a step forward as he looked around. They approached the front doors. However, a couple Heartless had suddenly appeared in dark wisps.

Clair leapt back and summoned her Keyblade. "They're here, too?!" Sora summoned Kingdom Key and leapt forward. Did Belle and Beast know the Heartless were here...?

Anne summoned Way of the Ninja and threw it at a nearby Shadow. It sliced right through it, making it vanish into darkness. Riku charged forward, slicing through another Shadow Heartless and destroying it while Anne's Keyblade returned to her hand. Clair remembered a spell she had learned, so she looked at a Soldier and shot an Aero spell at it, sending it flying and spinning around in the air. As it lowered, Jason slashed at it with his Keyblade, Born Fighter, and destroyed it.

"Good teamwork." Clair remarked. Jason just charged forward and attacked another Heartless.

An Air Soldier swooped down at Dylan, but he dove down and fired a Thunder spell at it, electrocuting it, giving Kairi an opportunity to attack it. She destroyed it and released the heart.

Lea got his own Keyblade ready. "Chase!"

"Oh yeah!" Chase whooped as he sped forward in a green and blue blur. Lea then used his fire attacks, which hit the a Soldier and Chase sped around the Soldier. The wind increased the flames and destroyed the Heartless, freeing the heart. "Yeah!" Lea smirked. "That's what I'm talking about!"

He and Chase high fived each other as Goofy and Donald helped their friends. "YAAA-HAA-HAA-HOOEY!" Goofy let out his signature cry as he slammed his shield down on a Heartless, flattening it. Donald fired a Blizzard spell, freezing one in place, allowing Anne to slash at it and defeat it.

Sora backed his friends up. "Take this!" He attacked the last Heartless in the area, a Large Body. He launched himself off a gargoyle statue and landed behind the big Heartless, hacking away at its back. The Heartless vanished, the crystalline heart floating up into the air.

The spiky haired boy dismissed his Keyblade. "Come on, guys. We better see how they're doing." he told his friends as he headed over to the front doors. Riku lagged a few feet behind Sora while the others followed.

Sora glanced up at the castle before pushing one of the doors open. Chase looked at the immense doors. "Big doors."

"Thanks for pointing that out, Captain Obvious." Dylan deadpanned as they followed Sora inside. Once seeing the cavernous halls, Chase couldn't resist calling out, "Hello!", just to hear the echoes.

"Quiet!" Jason elbowed him. Chase grunted and held his stomach. "Ow!"

Jason then grabbed a nearby candelabra. "Come on. Let's just figure out where these people are."

"What people?" A voice asked.

Jason looked around, still holding the candelabra. "Who said that?"

"Over here." Jason turned again, but no one was there. "Uh, Jason?" Anne pointed, her eyes wide with shock.

Jason felt a tapping on his hand. He lowered his hand to see... there was a face in the candelabra! " _Bonjour_."

He yelled in surprise and dropped it. Clair gasped and jumped back. "A talking candelabra?!"

The walking candelabra just sat up and dusted himself off. " _Oui, mademoiselle._ " he said with a polite tone as he bowed. Chase just fainted, so Dylan had to smack him a bit to snap him out of it.

"Lumiere?" Sora asked with surprise. Lumiere's eyes brightened up seeing the teen. "Sora! Welcome back!"

"Lumiere! Where are you?" A clock then came running up. Dylan's jaw dropped in his shock, he actually dropped Chase, who had come to. "Ow!" Chase groaned.

"Cogsworth?" Donald asked.

The walking clock's eyes widened upon seeing Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the others. "You're back!"

Jason grabbed Cogsworth. "Is this thing animatronic?"

"Put me down! At once." Jason just shook Cogsworth, earning a laugh from Lumiere. Cogsworth slapped Jason's hand. "Put me down now!"

Jason set him down. "Okay, not animatronic!"

Cogsworth muttered as he picked up up a couple gears that fell out, putting them back in place. "It is wonderful to see you again, Sora." Lumiere smiled up at him. "And I see you have new friends!"

Sora then noticed something was off. "Wait, you're not human again?"

Lumiere shook his head. "Sadly, no. The master and Belle still have a ways to go."

"Belle? How is she?" Kairi asked.

"She's doing well!"

"Who is Belle?" Clair asked. "She's one of the Princesses of Heart we told you about earlier." Riku told her quietly.

Clair's eyes widened. Chase sat up, stumbling a bit. "You really need to get an interior decorator in here." Chase said. "This place is way too spooky."

"It isn't our fault." Cogsworth shrugged. "Everyone has been turned into a household appliance due to a curse, so we can't do much right now."

"A curse?" Clair asked, crouching down to him.

"Yes. Years ago, the master had turned away an old beggar woman, who, in reality, was a beautiful enchantress. She cursed him because he had no love in his heart, and she turned everyone else in the castle into what we are now. However, she left a rose and said that if the master had fallen in love before the last petal on the rose fell, the spell would be broken. And it appears that that day might come soon." Cogsworth explained.

"You see, Belle and the master seen to be falling in love." Lumiere added.

"Where are they?" Sora asked.

"They're somewhere in the castle."

"We need to tell them something." Kairi told the candelabra.

"Maybe another time?" Cogsworth asked. "Why?" Anne asked. "What's happening tonight?"

"They're having dinner right now, and the servants have taken quite some time to prepare it, and it would be wise not to disturb them right now. Perhaps later?" the walking clock suggested. Anne shrugged in reply.

"In the meantime, would you like us to give you a tour of the castle? I'm sure your new friends would love to have a look around." Lumiere told Sora.

Sora shrugged. "Sure." he replied. He didn't want to be rude to his friends here. It wouldn't be nice to intrude on their dinner. "Splendid!" Lumiere cheered as he turned around and hopped away with the group following him. They approached the huge staircase as Cogsworth and Lumiere hopped up the steps. Riku glanced around. He had only been here once or twice, but it was only outside, and he kept himself blindfolded. He never saw the interior of the castle before. Needless to say, he was rather impressed.

"It's pretty fancy..." Chase remarked.

Clair was admiring some of the suits of armor. Chase was, as well. "Hm, are they for decoration?" the teenage boy asked their 'tour guides'.

"Certainly." Cogsworth replied. As Clair and Chase turned away, they had no idea the helmets of the suits of armor were slowly looking at them. However, Anne thought something was watching them, so she turned her head and the helmets quickly returned to their original positon.

She rose an eyebrow, but shrugged and resumed walking. The teenager then noticed some stairs that led to the west. "Hey, where do those lead?"

"The West Wing. The master prefers that no one enters that area." Cogsworth told her. Anne shrugged as they headed up a set of stairs to the east. Jason then paused, seeing a silhouette of someone running in the distance. "Who's there?!" he called.

The figure froze for a moment. Sora got ready. "We're not afraid of you!"

In response, the figure pointed something at them. "Stay back!" the figure warned. They could tell by the voice that it was a female. Jason was surprised. "I know that voice... Aurora?"

Clair's eyes widened in shock. "Aurora?!"

"... Jason? Clair?" the girl asked with surprise as she stepped out from the shadows. She had long, black hair. She wore a long sleeved white shirt underneath a blue sweater, a black skirt, and black leggings. She also looked Asian. "You survived, too?"

Clair nodded. "Yes..." she barely managed to say. She couldn't believe it. Someone else from her world had survived!

"Who is this? You know her?" Anne asked Jason.

"Aurora Kara. She moved from Moruga to Nekotan and went to our school back on our world. Real high and mighty." Jason replied.

The girl, Aurora glared at him. "Nice to see you too, dumb knucklehead." she retorted.

Riku's eyes widened seeing... a _Keyblade_ in Aurora's hand! It had a strong resemblance to a sword with the head of an open-mouthed dragon forming the teeth. The handle was gold with silver dragon wings forming the handle. The keychain token was a star.

"A Keyblade?!" he asked in shock. The group's eyes widened seeing it. "You have one, too?!" Clair gasped. Aurora blinked. "What do you mean?"

Anne, Clair, and Jason held their hands out and called forth their own Keyblades. Aurora blinked. "You guys have them?" she asked.

Jason nodded, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "And so do these guys."

Aurora glanced at the others. "Who are they?"

"My name's Sora. This is Riku, Kairi, Lea, Donald, Goofy, Chase, Dylan, and Anne." Sora introduced, gesturing to each person. "These two guys here are Lumiere and Cogsworth. They live here in the castle."

"But... they're..."

"A talking candelabra and clock? Yeah." Jason nodded. "Long story short, they're under a curse." Clair told her. Aurora stared at them. "Yeah, curses are real." Clair told her with a nod.

She shook her head. "This is just weird. First those things attack our home, then I end up here and there are talking appliances?"

"They're people under a curse." Clair corrected.

"It's still weird."

"For once, I agree." Jason said. "And those things that attacked our world? They're called Heartless, creatures of darkness." Clair told her. Sora nodded, walking over to them. "They usually attack other worlds and they come in all shapes, sizes, and forms."

Aurora looked at them. "I think you need to tell me everything."

"Trust me, we will." Riku nodded. "You see, Heartless are created from the darkness in one's heart. Then there's the Nobodies, what's left of one who had fallen to darkness."

"Nobodies?"

Riku nodded. "We just found out that they're back as well."

"Back?" Aurora questioned.

"Donald, Goofy, Riku, and I fought Heartless and Nobodies in the past." Sora explained. "We thought we defeated them, but they're back again."

Aurora placed a hand on her hip with an eyebrow raised. "Which means the four of you didn't do a good job."

"Hey!" Donald frowned.

"Since you have a Keyblade, we can teach you how to use it." Sora told Aurora, ignoring her comment.

"I've managed." Aurora shrugged.

Clair then got an idea. "Jason refused to learn from them. He thinks anyone can learn..."

"Teach me how to use it." Aurora said almost immediately.

Jason looked at his cousin. "Hey!"

She just gave him a wink. He then realized what she was doing. He then shrugged casually, going along with it. "You don't need them. It's really simple to use a Keyblade."

"I'm going to learn from them and that's final." Aurora insisted.

"Whatever you say." Jason shrugged again. Clair's idea had worked.

Chase just had a confused look. What was that about?

He looked at Dylan for an explanation. "Don't look at me." Dylan shrugged.

Lumiere hopped over to Aurora, politely bowing. " _Mademoiselle_ , would you care to join us?"

She rose an eyebrow. "Uh... okay..."

Cogsworth walked away. "This way, please."

They all followed the two down the hall, as well as the newest member of the group. Anne glanced up at the ceiling and noticed some of the tapestries. They looked rather fancy, yet dusty, and a few of the lower ones had some tears in them. "Fancy." she remarked.

"They're baroque." Cogsworth told her. "What, now?" Anne asked. "The tapestries. They're baroque." Cogsworth repeated as he kept walking. The teenage girl just gave him a blank look. She had absolutely _no_ idea what he was talking about. Chase was messing around with some of the statues, much to the clock's annoyance. "Chase, quit messing with that!" he scolded. Chase looked back at him. "Why? It's just a statue." he shrugged.

"To you, it may be. But to us, it's part of the castle." Cogsworth told him. Chase blinked at that. "Oh... sorry."

Jason was just walking along. Anne then sneezed loudly, her sneeze echoing throughout the vast hall. "Kinda dusty in here..." she muttered.

"You'll have to forgive us for that. It's been quite some time since we've cleaned." Cogsworth apologized. "Lack of hands." Lumiere added, showing his 'hands' for emphasis. "The dusters try to keep it clean here, but the dust appears to collect faster than they can sweep."

Riku kept glancing around. He could sense that years of darkness were here, but they were being cast aside... by light. Was it because of Belle? She was a Princess of Heart...

But then again, Beast and Belle had a special connection. Maybe that was it.

He couldn't help but feel slightly nervous though. When they would go to talk to Beast and Belle, he just hoped the Beast wouldn't try to rip him to shreds.

Jason seemed to notice Riku seemed uneasy. He didn't say anything, though, but he just observed him.

Riku stared straight ahead as he kept trudging on. If the Beast recognized Riku, would he listen to reason with him?


	15. Stone Cold

As they walked through the halls of the vast castle, Lumiere and Cogsworth informed the group about the castle while the footsteps echoed on the marble floors.

"... the chef has been waiting for quite some time for someone other than the master to eat his food, so when Belle came along, he was rather happy." Lumiere chuckled.

"He makes quite exquisite dishes. He gets rather upset if one doesn't come to eat his dishes he and the servants took quite so long to make." Cogsworth added. Chase groaned. "Great, this talk about food is making me hungry..." he complained as he held his stomach.

Jason just looked around, not really listening to the conversation. "So, um... have the Heartless bothered you guys, lately?" Sora asked the two transformed servants. "Hmm... now that you mention it, a few have been sighted outside the castle earlier." Cogsworth noted. "I think those were the ones we just dealt with before we got in here." Dylan commented.

"Oh? Then the master will have less to worry about tonight!" Lumiere remarked cheerfully. "Thank you for dealing with them."

"No problem." Sora replied with a smile.

Aurora was still trying to wrap her head around this. Curses, Keyblades, talking furniture... It's like something from a book. Just like what Clair read back home. She glanced at her new teammates. She still didn't trust them, yet. They were all total strangers to her, except for Jason and Clair.

She thought about her Keyblade. It had suddenly appeared to her when she was being surrounded by those... those Heartless back on Harthyn. And it proved to be more effective than the weapons of Harthyn. But why did she have this thing? Why did it come to her?

If it was fate, it must have a cruel sense of humor. And why would Jason and Clair have one, too? Especially _Jason_? He was a blockhead. Why would _he_ get something like a keyblade? He always got into fights back home. And he's a complete idiot. Jason never cooperated with anyone. He wasn't a team player. How did Clair and these guys manage to deal with him? She didn't know, but she didn't really care.

It was then giggling was heard. "Oh, Lumiere~" a female voice called. Much to their surprise, a walking feather duster came hopping away from a stand after dusting it. Lumiere's eyes lit up upon seeing it. "Oh ho ho, _bonjour, mon cher._ " he grinned suavely before he headed over to the duster and took her into his 'arms'. The duster giggled at that as Lumiere dipped her.

The group just stared at the odd scene in front of them. If they hadn't met Lumiere and Cogsworth first... this would have to be the weirdest thing that they've seen all day.

Chase gawked at the scene. "Uh... okay?"

Cogsworth sighed. "This is Fifi."

" _Bonjour_." Fifi greeted with an accent when she noticed them, which wasn't immediately because of Lumiere. "Uh... are they...?" Kairi asked. "I'm going to assume yes." Lea said, blinking in confusion.

Aurora just stared at the odd couple. Now this was definitely weird.

"Fifi, _cher_ , these are the master's friends I've told you about. They've brought some friends with them." Lumiere introduced. Fifi now looked at them with surprise. "You are the ones who helped the master save Belle and the Rose?" she asked.

Sora nodded. "That's us."

Fifi seemed to curtsy. "Thank you."

Lumiere then smiled at Fifi. "I'll see you after the tour." he flirted with her. " _Au revoir._ " Fifi smiled before hopping away, most likely to dust something. "That was..." Chase started.

"Strange?" Clair finished, earning a nod from him. "Definitely." he agreed.

"Lumiere, I thought we were giving them a tour." Cogsworth crossed his arms.

"Oh course we were!" the candelabra replied.

"Yet you went to flirt with your girlfriend."

"Oh, Cogsworth, _mon ami_ , she and I have a special connection! Just like the master and Belle do." Lumiere chuckled as he resumed hopping.

Jason shook his head. That was an extremely weird sight. Almost as strange as Wonderland. He didn't want anything crazy like this. Yet, he was sucked into this. Great.

He shoved his hands in his pockets as Sora then started to tell Aurora facts about the Keyblade. "You know, you can also use magic in battle." he explained.

"Magic?"

"Yeah. Clair there is pretty skilled in it for a beginner." Sora smiled. Aurora looked at Clair, who just smiled a bit shyly. "I guess..."

"She accidentally hit me with a Plasma Bolt." Anne piped up.

"A what?" Aurora asked.

Clair showed her, forming one in her hands. "This. It's used for offense, but when I tried it out for the first time..." She cracked a sheepish smile. "... it flew upstairs. So better not form it here."

The Plasma Bolt then dissipated, making Anne sigh with relief. As they resumed walking, Cogsworth started to go into details about some of the things in the castle, but a few of them weren't listening, just looking around. Jason thought he saw a statue move. He paused and looked at it for a moment. It didn't seem to be moving now.

He blinked, looking away. "Weird..."

"What?" Aurora asked.

"I could have sworn that thing was moving." Then, he was struck from behind. "GAH!" he exclaimed as he fell forward, landing on his stomach. The group whirled around in surprise to see that the statue had gotten off its stand!

 _"Sacre bleu!"_ Lumiere gasped. Aurora's eyes widened. "What's going on?"

Riku looked around them and his eyes widened. He could see darkness seeping out of the statue. "A Heartless has taken possession of the statue!"

"Uh, Riku?" Anne asked. Riku looked to see ghostly Heartless entering other statues. One by one, the statues came to life. "Uh oh..." he muttered.

Jason pushed himself up and his eyes widened seeing the statues. "You have gotta be kidding me."

"Lumiere, Cogsworth, get somewhere safe!" Kairi warned the two servants as she summoned Destiny's Embrace. Quickly, the duo hopped off to safety.

Jason was tackled and pinned down by a lion-esque statue with three heads. "Gah!" He struggled to push it off, then called forth his Keyblade. He slammed his Keyblade into the Heartless's side, forcing it off. What were these things?

Anne summoned her Keyblade, looking back and forth at the Heartless surrounding them. "Sora, what are they?!"

"Gargoyle Warriors! The Heartless that can possess them are Possessors!"

"Watch out!" Donald got his staff ready. Aurora got attacked by a draconian Gargoyle Warrior. Her eyes widened, then she growled as she struggled to fight the Heartless. "Use your Keyblade!" Sora called as he summoned his own.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?!" Aurora slammed her Keyblade into it, but it had a good defense. The Gargoyle Warrior stumbled a bit. She couldn't believe she was now fighting rocks!

Dylan drew his sword. "Okay, so we're dealing with possessed statues now?!" he asked, avoiding a swipe from a tomahawk. Riku summoned his Keyblade and attacked one. "Let's smash these things!" Chase joked.

"What can you do?!" Aurora asked, finally getting the Gargoyle Warrior off her with a whack from her Keyblade.

"This!" To her surprise, Chase suddenly moved in a blur. Chase stopped by a Gargoyle Warrior. "Hey, ugly!"

He sped behind it as it looked. Another Gargoyle Warrior noticed, so it tried to attack Chase, but he sped out of the way and instead, they hit each other and stumbled. He smirked. "Missed me." he taunted.

Aurora blinked. He could move that fast? How?

Anne dodge-rolled out of the way as a Gargoyle Warrior attempted to attack her. It did manage to scratch her, however. Anne got back up to her feet and gripped her Keyblade tightly in her hand and swung it, hitting the Gargoyle Warrior in the side. It didn't do much damage, though. Riku used Flowmotion and launched himself off the wall towards a Heartless. His attack managed to knock it off balance, smashing it. "Yeah!" He landed back on the ground.

Goofy was fending off a statue with three serpentine heads. He rammed his shield into it, pushing it back. Dylan sliced at it now that he had the opportunity. His sword sliced it in half and what used to be it clattered to the floor.

Anne thought she noticed something once the statue was defeated. It was something shadowy. It floated up into the air away from the remains of the statue.

Sora then shot a Fire spell at a Gargoyle Warrior, but it didn't do much damage, either. "How did you do that?!" Aurora asked.

"What? This?" Sora launched another Fire spell.

"Yes, that!"

"It's magic!" Sora replied.

"How did you do that, though?!"

"Think of something you're passionate about!" Clair advised as she shot a Thunder spell at a Gargoyle Warrior. Aurora did, thinking about her manga... her training...

A fireball shot out of the tip of her Keyblade and hit a Gargoyle Warrior. Her eyes widened. "Gri's beak!" she exclaimed. "Gri?" Chase ducked from a swipe by a tomahawk. "Explain later!" Clair said as she blocked a charging Minotaur-esque statue. She ended up skidding backwards a few feet from the impact. But at least she kept the stone monster from getting to her. She stumbled, but regained her balance and formed a Plasma Bolt, launching it at the same statue that attacked her. It knocked it back and it shattered to pieces upon crashing into the wall. A shadowy mist emerged from the remains. "Got it!"

"Nice one!" Kairi called as she avoided a Gargoyle Warrior herself.

"Thanks!"

Aurora saw Donald shoot a Blizzard spell at one, freezing the statue. Her eyes widened at that. Jason whacked the statue hard with his Keyblade. It shattered upon the impact. The Possessor floated out of the remains and up into the air. Chase did a quick count of how many were left. About four more were remaining. "How do I do that ice thing?!" Aurora asked.

"Try feeling cold!" Donald called.

"No problem for her." Jason commented.

"HEY!" Aurora snapped.

"It's true."

Aurora growled. "You know what, Jason?! You-!"

Unknown to her, a block of ice shot out of the tip of her Keyblade. Her eyes widened at that. "Wow."

"Good one, Aurora." Clair told her. The iceberg hit a Gargoyle Warrior, freezing it. Chase ran by it, kicking it in the back, sending it towards Lea, who destroyed it. Now there were three left. Kairi shot an Aero spell at one of the possessed statues, which lifted the statue off the ground. Sora jumped up in the air and slashed at it a few times, weakening it on each blow.

Sora jumped up in the air and slashed at it a few times, weakening it on each blow. Donald then cast Thunder. The Thunder spell was the last blow for it and it shattered, leaving just two statues now.

Anne ended up getting hit by one of the remaining Heartless and was sent flying back. She cried out and landed on her side with a grunt. "Ow!"

Dylan ran to her. "Anne! You okay?!" he asked as he checked on his friend.

"Little bit..." Anne winced as she sat up. Then she cried out in pain and held her arm, which had a gash on it from the attack. Focusing, Dylan used Cure to heal it. Anne watched as the gash vanished in a zipping motion. The pain had vanished and Anne pushed herself up to her feet. "Thanks, Dylan." she told him before charging at one of the remaining possessed statues again. It was payback time.

She rammed her Keyblade into it, leaving a few cracks in it. Clair used hers next and slammed it into the vunerable area, dealing the final blow to it. Now they were left with just a pile of rubble as another shadowy mist floated out of it and up into the air.

Now, there was just one left. "Dibs!" Chase called as he charged at it. However, this one had to be the toughest one. It kept moving out of the way each time he tried to kick him. "Hold still!"

The statue just swung at him. He barely avoided that one. Lea shot a fireball at the possessed statue, but it only left a scorch mark. Jason tried attacking it, but was knocked back. He cringed and landed on his back. Sora used a Flowmotion to launch himself at it, slamming Kingdom Key into its side. The statue stumbled from the attack. "Riku! Donald! Goofy!"

"On it!" Riku called.

"Let's go!" Donald exclaimed. Goofy spun around with his shield. He hit the statue several times with it before ramming it into the Gargoyle Warrior, knocking it off balance and causing it to stagger back. Donald then aided his longtime friend and shot a series of Thunder spells at it. "I got it!"

The possessed statue twitched as the lightning surged through it. Riku then charged in, leaping up and finishing it with a Dark Firaga. The statue crumbled to pieces and the Possessor floated away from its destroyed host.

"And that takes care of that." Chase commented wiping some sweat off his forehead. Donald then castes Cure on those who were injured. Aurora panted. "Are they always that hard to beat?"

"Sometimes." Sora replied, panting as well. Aurora glanced at her Keyblade. What else could this thing do?

Jason dusted himself off.

"Those things hit hard..." Anne muttered. Lumiere and Cogsworth then hopped out of their hiding places. "That was magnifique!" Lumiere told them. "Oh dear... They're back..." Cogsworth muttered with worry.

"Could've been worse." Clair said, trying to be optimistic.

"We must warn the master!"

"Uh... I thought you said they shouldn't be disturbed?" Anne asked.

Covering shook his head. "This is important. If the Heartless are back, then the castle is in danger! Come! We have to tell him!"

Quickly, the group followed the two transformed servants down a hallway leading to another part of the castle.

* * *

As this was happening, in a distant room, Belle sat across from the Beast at a dinner table. Each of them had a dish in front of them. The young woman smiled. The Beast was using a spoon the best way he could and sipped up his soup. He had learned table manners again and was using them quite well.

There was a coat rack playing a romantic tune on a violin nearby.

"This has been a wonderful night." Belle smiled at Beast.

Beast smiled back. "I, uh... hope you liked the dinner."

Belle smiled at him. "It's delicious. Thank you."

Beast's eyes lit up at that.

However, a sudden knock at the door interrupted them. "Hm?" The coat rack immediately stopped playing as they all looked at the door, seeing it crack up and Cogsworth poke his head in.

Cogsworth smiled nervously while Belle and Beast just looked at him with confusion. "Um... hello. Good evening. Forgive me for interrupting."

"Cogsworth? Is something wrong?" Beast asked. "You look tense." Belle added.

The walking clock chuckled sheepishly. "Well, circumstances being what they are... um, what I mean is... Sora has returned with some friends of his and they have urgent news."

The two perked up a bit hearing Sora's name. "Sora's back?" Beast asked.

"How urgent is it?" Belle questioned, setting her spoon down on her plate.

"Um... Well, it's urgent enough that they need to discuss it with you right away. Sorry."

Beast stood up and put his signature cloak on over his shirt. "Take us to them." he told his servant.

Cogsworth bowed. "Certainly, master."

Beast held the door open for Belle, allowing her to go first before shutting the door behind him and following the young woman.

* * *

The new team waited in the hall for Cogsworth to return. Their wait was over when they heard footsteps on the marble floor.

They looked towards the direction and saw Cogsworth coming around a corner with a young woman with brown hair tied back in a ponytail with a light blue bow. She wore a white and blue dress, as well as black flats. Her eyes widened upon seeing them. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!"

Sora waved. "Hi, Belle."

Kairi perked up seeing her. "Belle?"

Belle's eyes widened. "Kairi?" She then smiled and hugged the girl. "It's so good to see you again! Are you doing alright?"

The red headed girl smiled at her. "Great. I'm actually travelling with Sora, this time." she explained. "This is Belle?" Jason questioned, earning a nod from Sora. "Kairi knows her because a year or two ago, we met her when we were stopping Ansem and the Heartless for the first time."

Aurora rose an eyebrow. "Ansem? You know, you guys still have a lot to tell me."

"We'll explain later."

The brunette then noticed the newer ones of the group. "Oh, hello. Are they friends of yours?" she asked them.

"Yeah. This is Anne, Aurora, Jason, Clair, Chase, and Dylan. They're helping us." Sora nodded. Riku looked away, taking a step back, but Belle noticed him and her eyes widened.

"You're..." She couldn't finish her sentence. It was the same boy who helped Maleficent kidnap her over a year ago!

The teen looked away with shame. "Hello..."

Sora noticed the tension and quickly came to Riku's defense. "He's on our side. Ansem's no longer controlling him! He helped us stop the Nobodies last time!" he told her. Belle just nodded, smiling lightly. "I understand. If he's here at your side, then I know he's not going to cause any trouble."

Riku's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "You're not... mad?"

Belle shook her head. "No. You were just trying to find your friend."

The silver haired Keyblade Master inwardly sighed with relief. He was sure she was going to lash out at him.

It was then they heard heavier footsteps. "Sora...?" a gruff voice was heard. As the source of the voice came around the corner, the newer ones of the group were horrified at what they saw. It was a type of beast with blue eyes covered head to toe in light and dark brown fur. He had a purple cloak over a white shirt with dark blue, tattered pants. He was barefoot, as his feet were not shaped to be able to wear shoes. His toes had black claws, as did his hands. The creature had large fangs that poked out from his lower lip, as well as small ears that seemed to point at the tips and black horns at the top of his head. He had a brown wolf-like tail, too. Another feature that was distinguishing was that he seemed to hunch a bit.

Anne shakily took a step back. "S-S-Sora? What is that?!" Chase panicked. Clair jumped back. Aurora pointed her Keyblade at the creature, taking a step back as well.

Dylan reached for his sword. "Is that a Heartless?!"

Belle and Sora's eyes widened and Sora quickly stopped him, grabbing his wrist. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, guys! This is Beast! He's our friend we mentioned earlier!" he told them. "He's not an enemy!"

The Beast looked back and forth between them. "Sora? Are they friends of yours?" he questioned with caution. Jason's eyes widened when the Beast spoke.

"Yeah. Sorry about them. They're... new at this kinda stuff." Sora apologized, scratching the back of his head. "They're still trying to get used to this."

"Cogsworth? Lumiere? Is this your master?" Clair asked incredulously. Lumiere nodded. " _Oui,_ Clair. His appearance is part of the curse that had been cast upon us. Master, allow me to introduce Clair, Jason, Aurora, Anne, Dylan, and Chase." The candelabra bowed before him. Beast eyed the humans before him, then his gaze fell on Riku, who looked slightly nervous at the sight of Beast. Beast's eyes widened in recognition, then he snarled angrily.

 **"YOU!"** he roared furiously at the top of his lungs, his bellow of anger echoing throughout the hall. Nearly everyone jumped at that as he stood in front of Belle protectively. "I won't let you take Belle! NOT AGAIN!"

Riku's eyes widened as he stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender. "Whoa! Beast! Calm down! I'm not here to do that!"

Beast just snarled before charging past the group and attempting to swipe at Riku, who quickly jumped away. Riku did not summon his Keyblade, as it may make things even worse. "GET OUT OF MY CASTLE **NOW!** " he roared at him.

"I'm not here to fight you! If you'll just let me explain-"

Letting out another ferocious roar, Beast ran at him on all fours. Riku barely dodged a swipe from his claws, dodge-rolling away from him. "Beast! Stop!" Belle pleaded. "He's not your enemy!" Lea added.

"Master! You must listen!" Cogsworth exclaimed worriedly. His master needed to know about the Heartless threat, not fight this lad senselessly!

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Dylan exclaimed. Jason prepared to rush in to fight, but Aurora and Clair yanked him back before he could do anything. Riku jumped back to avoid another attack as Beast charged at him again, but this time, Sora jumped in front of Beast, holding his arms out as a shield. "BEAST, STOP!"

Beast skidded to a halt, then snarled at him. "Out of my way, Sora!"

Sora shook his head. "No! Beast, you need to listen! Riku's not here to fight you _or_ take Belle! He's on our side!"

"He took Belle! He tried to keep me from saving her! Give me one good reason not to tear him apart!" Beast snarled. He was determined to make sure Belle was not hurt again!

"Riku is not like he was back then! Just let him explain!" Sora told him. "Beast, please." Belle pleaded him. The Beast glanced back at Belle and his eyes softened seeing her expression. Then he looked back at Riku and snorted. "Talk."

Riku sighed. "I swear, I am not the way I was back then. I was tricked. I was told that if I helped her, Maleficent would help me find Kairi. So... that's why I helped take Belle. I was stupid. Controlled and taken over by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. After that incident, I did what I could to make up for it by helping protect the worlds from the sidelines. I helped Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeat the Heartless and Nobodies. That's why they haven't been sighted for a while. I've gone through a lot to make up for the things I did during Ansem's plans." Riku then looked at Beast. "I swear, I'm not here to take Belle. I'm here to help."

Beast stared at Riku after hearing his words. Then, he seemed to relax. "You... mean it?"

The Keyblade Master nodded. "I do."

Beast stood up a bit straighter. "Then, I am... sorry."

The group looked a bit relieved hearing those words. Sora relaxed and sighed. "Whew..." he muttered.

"Um, master... now that we've gotten that out of the way, Sora and his friends need you to know something." Cogsworth brought up. The Beast then looked at the group. "What is it, then?"

"The Heartless are here in the castle!" Donald blurted out.

"WHAT?!" The force of his roar nearly blew Donald's hat off, so the duck quickly grabbed it, keeping it down on his head. Belle gasped. "They're in the castle again?!" she asked worriedly.

Lea nodded. "Yeah. They attacked us using statues here. Sorry, but we had to bust them to take them down. Sorry about that."

Beast frowned. "If they're here, then..." He looked back at Belle. "Belle, I need you to go to a safer room." he told her.

"Beast, I can help-"

Beast cut her off. "No, you'd be in danger. I can't risk that."

Belle stared at him for a moment, then sighed, taking his paw in her hand. "You be careful."

He nodded. "I will. Lumiere, Cogsworth, take her to her room. Please." he ordered.

"Right away, master." Cogsworth bowed. Belle then looked at the group. "You all be careful, too." she told them. Goofy nodded. "We will!"

She, the clock, and the candelabra then walked away from them, heading down some steps. The Beast glanced back at the team as Sora then remembered something else. "Oh... Beast? There's something else you should know..."

"What is it?"

Sora took a deep breath. "Organization XIII and the Nobodies are back." he said bluntly. Beast snarled upon hearing this information. The last time the Organization was in his castle, the member, Xaldin, tried to turn him into a Heartless, kidnap Belle, and take the enchanted rose, which infuriated him. Sora, Donald, and Goofy helped Beast show Xaldin what happens when someone messes with those close to him. Just remembering Xaldin made him snarl with anger. "What?!"

"They're back, but they're after something else: the seven pure lights." Riku explained with a frown. "The Princesses of Heart."

Beast's eyes widened, immediately thinking of Belle. "What do they want with them?!"

"To forge a weapon called the X-Blade to start another Keyblade War and fight for Kingdom Hearts. Organization XIII is for the thirteen dark pieces the X-Blade was separated into." Lea frowned, crossing his arms. "They might come and try to take Belle so they can use the pure heart of light she has."

"I won't let them!" Beast declared with a vicious snarl. "Organization XIII is not welcome here! Not now, not EVER! If they want to get to Belle, they'll have to get past _me_ , first."

"That's what I'm talking about." Sora smiled. "We'll help. But first, we need to take care of the Heartless here."

"Then let's go." Beast turned on his heel and began to walk away. The group of eleven followed him down the stairs, but Jason, Aurora, and Clair hung back.

Jason scowled at the two. "Why didn't you let me stop him?!"

"You'd just make things worse." Aurora deadpanned.

Jason crossed his arms. "Jason, you'd also get hurt if you tried to fight him. You don't know how strong Beast is." Clair reasoned.

"I've been in tons of fights before." Jason shrugged.

Aurora shot him a look. "Did you ever fight a giant furry beast before?"

"Well, no, but-"

Clair sighed. "Come on, you two, not now. We have to get rid of the Heartless here." she told them as she started heading down the steps to catch up with the others. Jason and Aurora shot each other a look before following her. "You guys still need to tell me what's going on. 'Keyblade War'? 'X-Blade'? 'Kingdom Hearts'?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around this, too. But don't go asking me. I barely know anything about this stuff."

"Hey! You three gonna chat all day? We have some Heartless to take down!" Donald squawked at the trio. "Yeah, yeah, we're coming!" Jason retorted as they quickly caught up to them. Aurora sighed with a bit of annoyance. She had a feeling this was gonna be a long night, especially dealing with these Heartless. No one was telling her everything yet, so when this was all over, she was going to make sure that this group she was in would explain what the deal with this stuff about 'Kingdom Hearts' was.

They all headed through a doorway, ready to take on anything that would try to attack them. They may have been caught by surprise before, but not this time...


	16. One Jump Ahead

**Thank you, DinoWriter23, for helping me with this chapter. Hope you feel better soon**.

* * *

The first thing Nash saw when he fell out of the portal was sand. As a matter of fact, he landed face first in it and even got a mouthful of it.

"Ack!" He coughed and spat in disgust, trying to get it off his tongue as he pushed himself up, wiping the sand off his face. "Disgusting."

It was then he realized something was up. Sand? There wasn't sand back at the last place he was at...

He glanced at his surroundings, noticing that around him were several buildings that were the same color as the sand. He rubbed the back of his head. It was also pretty humid here, very much unlike the weather back home. It usually wasn't that bad during summer time. Where was he this time? Some sort of alley?

He could hear voices up ahead. Nash started forward, but then he hestitated. The last couple of times he heard voices, they were these creepy guys in black hoods that were talking about weird stuff... and he got chased by those freaky things...

Nash wasn't sure if he should take this chance again. But then he remembered hearing where Josh was last sighted... some place called Halloween Town...

Could this be the place?! Maybe Josh was here! Sure, he may have said those things back when their school was being attacked, but he did hang out with his gang a lot. He had no idea what had happened to Joshua after he ran away. Maybe he was wrong to leave him behind? Sure, he was acting weird, but he _was_ the leader of his gang that Nash was part of. But why would Josh actually be so calm at that kind of stuff that happened back when those things attacked them?

And those people earlier spoke about fetching Josh... what would they want with him? And what was this stuff about Josh 'embracing darkness'?

Quickly, he darted out of the alley he was in towards the main street. He was surprised to see many people dressed in turbans, tunics, and other types of garbs going about their daily business. Some were running these types of stands holding out items, shouting things about buying them to people passing by. Nash watched on with utter confusion. They certainly didn't look like anything he thought people would wear in this Halloween Town.

Nash slipped his way through a small crowd of people as he tried to process his surroundings. As someone carried a set of boards, he had to duck down to avoid getting hit in the head. "Whoa! Easy!" he said as he slipped away.

However, he came across an odd sight. A man was lying on a bed of nails for a group of people. Nash cringed a bit at the sight. That definitely did not look comfortable.

The teenager wanted to get to a less strange area, but with all the people in this sort of marketplace, it made it a bit difficult for him to slip through.

As Nash turned his head, he ended up getting whacked in the face by the same board he avoided moments ago. Nash groaned and held his nose. "Whoops, sorry!" the man apologized as he carried the boards away.

Nash grumbled to himself as he stumbled a bit, regaining his balance. He needed to keep an eye out for more of those.

While he tried to weave past some people, a merchant shoved a fish at his face. "Fresh fish! Go ahead! Try some!"

Nash gagged from the smell. It certainly didn't smell that fresh. "No thanks..." he denied as he edged away from the stand, only to run into a merchant trying to sell fruit. "Try some dates! And fresh watermelon!" the merchant exclaimed.

The teenage boy quickly stumbled away. "I don't want any!" He ended up falling on his back. He could hear the sound of wheels rolling, so he turned his head and his eyes widened seeing a wheelbarrow coming straight towards him! He let out a cry of surprise before rolling out of the way, avoiding getting ran over by it as he scampered back to his feet.

Nash then darted out of the busy street, finding a safer place away from the traffic. There wasn't many people over in this area, which made him inwardly sigh with relief. He already had a couple close calls. He didn't any more.

Now that he was out of traffic, he took a moment to glance around. He could see many people with tan skin and weird garbs strolling around. However, none of them had blonde hair like Josh's or wore anything that Josh would. He couldn't see him anywhere. Nash then sighed. Looks like he would have to take a look around. He'd just need to avoid the crowds...

He slipped out of the marketplace and into a less crowded street, much to his relief. Once he regained his composure, he began his search for Josh. "Josh?!" he called loudly. As he ran through the streets of this strange place, he received several strange looks from some of the residents.

"Hey, have you seen a guy named Josh? He's got blonde hair, wears a dark green jacket..." he described to a man. The man looked at him and shook his head. "Can't say I have." he replied.

Nash slumped his shoulders before walking off. As he headed further into the strange town, he noticed that some people were staying in some of the weirdly shaped buildings or residing in alleys. Their clothing seemed a bit more tattered than the other people he came across. Were they poor or something?

He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by someone rushing past him, bumping into him. "Hey, watch it!" he snapped on reflex.

The figure skidded to a halt, looking back at him. "Oh. Sorry about that... I'm in a hurry."

Nash saw it was a boy about his age with tanned skin and black hair wearing a red tunic that looked to have at least a dozen patches on it with burlap pants. He noticed that the boy was also barefoot. Nash rose an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"My name is Zafir." the boy introduced himself. "And you are?"

"... Nash." he answered after a moment.

Zafir nodded. "Hm... you don't look like you're from around here." he noted as he observed him. He wasn't dressed like most people here... just like Sora and his friends were.

Nash shook his head. "I'm from Welton." he replied.

"Welton? I've never heard of such a place." Zafir remarked.

"Hm... have you seen this guy? He's my age. He's got blonde hair, wears this dark green jacket, blue jeans..." Nash told him. The boy rose an eyebrow, then shook his head. "Afraid I haven't." he answered. Nash groaned with frustration. "Well... is this place Halloween Town, by any chance?" he asked.

Zafir rose an eyebrow in confusion. Halloween Town? What was that?

"No, this is Agrabah. I've never heard of Halloween Town." Zafir told him. Nash blinked. "Agrabah?" he questioned. The boy in rugged clothing nodded. "Yes. This is the city of Agrabah, which is ruled by the Sultan. Right now, we're sort of in the slums."

Nash then sighed, slumping his shoulders again. "I heard Josh was in some place called Halloween Town..."

"I'm sorry you couldn't find your friend." Zafir told him, then he glanced around. "You really shouldn't be out on the streets right now..."

Nash rose an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"The Heartless." Zafir whispered to him. Nash blinked, confused. Heartless?

"What now?"

"They're... creatures of darkness." Zafir told him quietly, making sure no one was listening. "A while ago, I helped some new friends of mine fight them off. I promised them I'd help keep an eye out for any more of them with some people I know here on the streets. These things are dangerous. You never know when they could attack."

Nash blinked. "Who are these 'friends' you're talking about?"

"There was quite a group, but I remember all their names. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Kairi, Lea, Anne, Chase, Dylan, Jason, and Clair."

Hearing Anne, Dylan, and Chase's names, Nash's eyes widened. The same ones Josh would pick on most of the time when he wasn't picking on others? Those dorks were still alive?! They made it out of there?!

Zafir noticed his expression. "Do you know them?"

"Well... sorta." Nash admitted, not going into the details. Zafir then glanced around, grabbing Nash by his sleeve. "Come on... we shouldn't be out on the streets right now."

Before Nash could protest, Zafir led him into a seemingly abandoned building. It was pretty dark, so obviously, there was no electricity. The two headed up a set of stairs before coming to a room with an open window. There was some tattered blankets lying on the floor. "This your place?" Nash asked.

"Nah. It's a place for street rats like me to hide in." Zafir explained.

"Then why did you bring me up here?"

Zafir pointed out the window. "Look."

The dark haired teen obliged and glanced out the open window down at the streets in the distance. His eyes widened seeing several creatures with yellow eyes in different shapes and sizes slithering about in the streets. However, he recognized a few of them as the same types that attacked him before. "Those were the things that attacked my home!" he gasped in realization.

Zafir glanced at him. "They are? Those are just some of the types of Heartless."

"Wait, you mean there's more of them?!" Nash asked incredulously. The native teenager nodded. "Yeah... they come in all shapes and sizes... I've seen some of them myself. What they can do in fights is not pretty."

"You've fought them?"

"Well... I helped Sora and his group fight them when they were here. I had to use a scimitar in order to hold off some. I nearly lost a couple fights and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them."

So Chase, his brother, and their friend were also dealing with these things...? Nash tried to process this information, but Zafir pulled him out of his thoughts. "I've been keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble, as well as Nobodies."

"Nobodies?"

Zafir shrugged. "I don't know much about them either, but they're what is left of someone after a Heartless is created. The Heartless haven't been causing any trouble to the public yet, but we've been trying to take them down. Sora made it look easy. These things just won't hold still."

Nash glanced back down nervously at the Heartless, which just scurried around looking back and forth. "What do they want?"

"Probably to spread darkness and create more Heartless."

Nash then let out a sigh. "I can't stay here. I gotta find Josh..."

"It's not smart to head down there right now." Zafir warned.

"But I need to. Josh might be in danger."

Nash started to head out, but Zafir stopped him. Nash paused and looked back at him with a frown. "You've got to trust me. Those things... they're not of this world." Zafir told him.

"You think I don't know that?" Nash then pulled himself free and headed towards the stairs.

Zafir shook his head. "If you've run across them before, then you know how dangerous they are!"

"And that's why I need to find Josh!" Nash retorted, then ran down the stairs. Zafir shook his head before he quickly followed the unsuspecting teen. He was going to get himself killed!

As Nash reached the bottom of the steps, he ran out the door. Zafir followed him, taking a safer route as Nash darted into the empty street, only for the Heartless to notice him. His eyes widened before he ran away from them. However, they followed. He did all that he could to lose them. Nash tried running around a corner, but they followed him.

However, Nash ended up tripping on a plank of wood lying in the middle of the road. He ended up landing flat on his face as well. He looked back just in time to see the closest Heartless taking a leap at him. He yelled in surprise as he rolled out of the way. The Heartless crashed into the ground before looking back at him. Nash yelped before he scrambled to his feet and looked around, searching for anything to defend himself with. He found an old broom, so he snatched it up and pointed it at the Heartless. "Back! Get back!"

He felt very stupid. He was pointing a _broom_ at them. The Heartless didn't seem intimidated either.

"I'll use this!" he threatened.

They just parted as a new kind of Heartless showed up. It was like the ones with the swords, except it was taller, and kind of gold in color. It also have FOUR swords in its hands. Nash paled and his jaw dropped as he gawked up at it. "Uh..."

It then swung its swords several times. The broom Nash held fell into tiny little pieces. The teenage boy glanced down at the tiny remains of his 'weapon' as they clattered on the ground. "Uh oh..."

He then did the only thing he could think of next: run!

He faked left before going right. Nash ran as fast as he could, hoping that he had confused the Heartless. Unfortunately, the taller Heartless slammed one of its swords at the ground, causing a bit of a shockwave and knocking him off his feet. He yelled in surprise as he tumbled around. The teen looked back to see the Heartless converging on him. He panicked and ran even faster, trying to get away, but several had grabbed a hold of him.

Nash screamed and struggled to break free. "Get... off...!"

The one with the four swords approached him. The dark haired teen struggled against the Heartless as it got closer. His heart was beating so fast, he was sure it would jump out of his chest. He had to get away!

As the tallest Heartless of the bunch readied one of its swords, he let out a cry and shut his eyes.

But suddenly, _Zafir_ came leaping down from a low roof with a type of sword in his hand and brought it down on a Heartless. It stumbled back from Zafir's attack. "You?!" Nash asked in surprise.

Zafir slashed at one of the Heartless holding onto Nash. "I told you not to go out there! Now let's go!" He slashed at another Heartless holding onto Nash and grabbed his arm before running off with the Heartless chasing after them. Still, the Heartless followed. The native's eyes widened before he ran even faster while keeping hold of Nash's arm. "They're gaining!"

"I can see that!"

The two ran, but they found themselves cornered. Nash and Zafir edged away as the Heartless approached them. Seeing a spare sword lying in a corner, Zafir tossed it to Nash. "Take this!"

Nash fumbled when he caught it and nearly dropped the scimitar, but regained his grasp on the handle. "We're gonna have to fight them!" Zafir added. "You know how to use it?"

"Put the pointy end in the other guy?"

Zafir looked at the Heartless. "Follow my lead. I had to fight these things when Sora was here. If one looks ready to strike, use your blade to block it!"

A Heartless, one of the same kinds Nash saw back at the high school, sunk into the ground and slithered forward to attack. He kept his eye on the dark spot on the ground as it moved around. Nash yelped as it rose out of the ground in front of him and prepared to swipe at him with its claws. Nash quickly held his blade out in front of him for defense. The claws struck the sword instead and the Heartless retracted.

Zafir slashed at one that had a turban on its head, making it stumble back and nearly lose its balance. Zafir then stabbed the Heartless, which vanished into dark wisps and when they were gone, there wasn't a trace of the Heartless left.

Nash slashed at the Heartless that had attacked him, making it vanish into a dark cloud. However, his sword fell out of his hand. His eyes widened as it landed on the ground. He tried to grab it, but a Heartless shaped like some sort of bandit kicked it out of the way before pointing its own sword at him. Nash paled before he scrambled out of the way as it slammed its sword down, only for it to get stuck in the ground.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Nash slammed his foot into its back, forcing the Heartless on the ground. He then scrambled to get his scimitar back. Zafir was in a sword lock with another bandit-like Heartless. The creature of darkness was gaining the upper hand. Nash grabbed a nearby rock and threw it at the Heartless. "Hey! You!" he called at it.

The bandit shaped Heartless paused to look at him. This proved to be a fatal mistake, as Zafir used this distraction to shove the Heartless back and slash at it three times. It stumbled back before the teenager slashed it across its chest one last time, destroying it. "Yes!"

Nash edged away from a Heartless as it crept towards him in a menacing fashion. It leapt at him, but Nash dove out of the way and it crashed into the wall behind him. He took deep breaths. That was close.

Zafir quickly helped up Nash. "Where's your sword?"

"I don't know! It's gone! That thing kicked it away!"

They looked for it. but the taller of the Heartless approached them, gripping its four swords. "Uh oh." Zafir paled.

Nash gulped. "Now what?"

"Now we run!" Zafir grabbed him by his sleeve before they both ran off quickly. Again, the Heartless chased after the duo. "Why are they following us?!" Nash asked the native of the world.

Zafir looked at him. "Maybe they wanna finish us off!"

They rounded a corner. A couple of the smaller Heartless ended up crashing into each other as they rounded the same corner. It was kind of comical in Nash's opinion.

But a couple of the larger Heartless, including the largest of them, kept following them. Zafir looked up at the rooftops of the buildings and got an idea. "Follow me!"

The orphaned teen led him into an abandoned building and up a set of stairs. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Nash panicked as they scrambled up the stairs until they were up onto the roof. "Great. Now we're cornered!"

Zafir smiled. "No, we're not!" He backed up before leaping across the gap and landing on the roof of the building next to them. Nash's jaw dropped. "No. No way I'm doing that!"

"You wanna get caught by those things?!" Zafir retorted. He had a point there. Nash took a deep breath before he backed up several feet in order to get a running start. Nash noticed the Heartless that could fit through the doorway climbing up the steps. His eyes widened before he broke into a run. When he reached the ledge, he jumped, leaping across the gap. As gravity began to take hold, he frantically grabbed the ledge, struggling to hold on as he began to slip. Zafir quickly grabbed his wrist and helped him up.

"Remind me not to do that again." Nash panted.

"You will have to if you want to stay alive." Zafir told him.

"How do you deal with this?!"

"Well, it's something you learn when you spend most of your life on the streets." Zafir shrugged.

As the Heartless came up to the roof, Nash couldn't help but shoot them a smirk. "Can't get us now, can ya?!" he taunted them with a triumphant look on his face. They've outsmarted them!

He soon regretted is as the pair of Heartless backed up before charging at them and taking a leap, landing on the roof as well. Nash paled as they glared at them with their beady, yellow eyes.

"... maybe that was a bad idea." Zafir cringed before the two sprinted away towards another roof. They both jumped, landing on a lower roof. Nash nearly fell on his face, but he regained his balance and kept running. The Heartless persisted in chasing them down. Zafir knocked a pot over in an attempt to slow them down. He couldn't see any sign of the larger of the Heartless, though. They leapt onto another roof as they tried to escape them.

Seeing a type of cloth tied to a set of poles down in a gap that was too far to jump, Zafir got an idea. "We're gonna need to jump again!"

"What?! The roof is too far!" Nash protested, not getting what he meant. "We'll fall to our deaths!"

"No, we won't!" Zafir just grabbed him and they leapt off the roof with Nash screaming his head off. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Nash yelled, shutting his eyes and preparing for the impact. They ended up bouncing off the blanket and they were sent flying towards a pile of hay while the Heartless crashed straight through the cloth and disappeared.

Nash spat some hay out of his mouth.

A moment passed before the two burst into laughter as they laid in the hay pile. "That... that was awesome!" Nash whooped. That was actually kind of fun! "Man, how do you do that?!"

Zafir chuckled and shrugged. "That's just a street rat's life."

Nash rose an eyebrow. "Street rat?"

Zafir's smile fell a bit. "It's... what people like me are called. People who are extremely poor and live on the streets. Who steal to live."

Nash shook his head. "That's just... not cool."

"Cool?" Zafir then remembered one of Sora's friends had used that word before to describe something neat. So, in this case, Nash must have meant it was not nice. "Yeah, you're right. It's not cool. I usually jump across roofs for escaping after stealing some food." Zafir added as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"Seriously?"

The homeless teen nodded. "But not from Heartless. So this was kind of new for me, too."

Nash then stood up and dusted himself off, as well. "Thanks for helping me out back there..."

"No problem." Zafir nodded.

A thought suddenly came to Nash. Maybe... maybe he should try to find Anne and her friends. It sounded like they knew how to handle all this madness. It sounded crazy, but maybe they could help him find Josh. He had to try.

"Hey, did this Sora guy say where he was going?" he questioned.

Zafir shook his head. "No..."

Nash groaned. "How am I supposed to find them or Josh, then?"

"Genie could help, probably."

"Genie?"

"He's a genie who lives here. Maybe he could help you." Zafir suggested.

"Someone say my name?!"

To Nash's surprise, a big, blue guy with a small, black beard suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Whoa!" he gasped, stepping back in surprise.

"Hey there, kid! Nice to meet ya! Genie at your service!" he grinned, shaking his hand rapidly.

"Genie, he's looking for Sora and his friends." Zafir told him. "Also, he's searching for someone named Josh."

"C-Can you help me find them?" Nash inquired. Genie suddenly changed his appearance. He changed into a Sherlock Holmes style outfit. "Perhaps I can!" he said, holding a magnifying glass to his eye. The two teenagers just stared as he started examining the place with it. He then started walking around holding his magnifying glass to the ground.

"... what are you looking for? They're not here..." Nash pointed out.

"But I AM looking for any clues to where they could be!" Genie smiled, completely unfazed. Nash just stared at him with a blank expression. This guy was very weird...

The Genie then stopped by a building. "Hm?" he wondered. "What is it?" Zafir asked the mystical being. Genie changed into a blue-skinned girl with blonde hair and a Victorian-era style dress. "Curiouser and curiouser..." he remarked in a high pitched tone.

Blinking at that, Nash asked, "Huh?"

Genie changed back to normal. "I think I found them."

Nash's eyes widened. "Seriously?! Where are they?"

The blue being changed into a butler as a door appeared. "This way, sir." he told him in a formal, French accent. Nash stepped towards it with uncertainty, but none of them noticed a portal of darkness appear. Genie froze as he turned back to normal and noticed a Shadow Heartless climb down a roof and land next to Nash. "Kid, watch out!"

The teenager paused just in time to see the creature lunge at him, attacking him. He let out a cry of surprise as he was knocked back into the portal. Zafir and Genie's eyes widened before they tried to get him. Sadly, it had closed before they could even grab his arm. Genie frowned at the Heartless and zapped it, destroying it. "Nash? NASH!" Zafir called, but he was gone...

Where did that portal take him?

* * *

Meanwhile in Radiant Garden, Cid sat at his computer typing away as Merlin was using his magic to sort through some things. Both were focused deeply on their tasks.

"So, how do ya think that girl you taught is doin' out there?" Cid questioned, not looking away from the screen.

Merlin glanced away from his magical work for a moment. "I believe she is doing quite well out there, but what surprised me is how well she could do these spells at first. She's got talent. I've never seen anyone so gifted with magic. However, she is still a beginner. So she must be careful out there."

Cid nodded in agreement. "No telling what could happen out there. But hey, she's got Sora and the others with her"

Merlin opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in!" Cid called.

It opened up, revealing a male silhouette. "Hello, Merlin! Long time no see, am I right?" a cheery, British voice remarked.

Merlin perked up. "Indeed! What has it been? Ten years?" he joked.

"Probably!" the man grinned. Cid blinked with confusion. "Who's this?"

"This, lad, is an old friend of mine. He's always traveling." Merlin chuckled, adjusting his glasses. "And I believe he can help us now. Come, have a seat!" Merlin waved his rod and an armchair appeared.

Their guest nodded and took a seat in it, sipping from a cup of tea he was given. "We have much to discuss, old friend."


	17. Big Guy Beatdown

The Beast growled in front of them, leading the group down the hall. Sora was following close behind while the others were behind him. Beast looked back and forth, searching for any signs of danger. He wasn't going to let any of the Heartless roam in his castle. There was no way he'd let them hurt Belle. Anyone who would even dare to try would have to deal with him.

And if he saw anyone in an Organization XIII coat, he'd have no mercy.

While he was thinking this, Anne glanced at the newest member of the group.

"So... Aurora, right?" Anne asked.

"Hm?"

"Who's Gri? You mentioned something about a 'Gri' earlier."

"Gri's the Great Griffin." Aurora explained to Anne.

"According to legend he made the entire world and everyone on it." Clair added.

It dawned on Anne that Gri might be a god in their world's mythology. "Ooh, really?" Chase asked as he glanced at her. Clair nodded.

"Some say that Gri had to defeat the kaiju at the dawn of time." Jason added. "Kaiju?" Dylan asked curiously.

Anne tried to remember if she had heard that word before. She thought she read it somewhere in those comics she would read. "Um... isn't that a giant creature that towers skyscrapers?" she questioned. Clair looked at her. "How'd you know?"

"I think I've read about them in these old comics I used to read. They only existed in comics, though. They looked a little like dinosaurs." Anne shrugged. "Someone had a happy childhood." Aurora told her.

Jason looked at Anne. "It would've been better for us if they were only in stories."

"Why's that?" Donald questioned.

"They are real. And virtually unstoppable. But thankfully, there ares some good ones." Jason answered.

Clair nodded. "Like Testukyo."

Sora looked at her. "Huh?"

"One of the strongest kaiju around. And also one of the most dangerous. It's a good thing he's a good kaiju." Clair added.

"Do the kaiju roam around on your world?" Riku asked. "Many do." Jason explained. "Though some conspiracy theorists say there's a place called Kaiju Island where the government tries to contain several kaiju."

"Do they go around stomping and roaring?" Chase asked.

Jason nodded. "Yeah."

Chase rose an eyebrow. "Just how many are there?"

"On record, at least twenty have been confirmed." Clair answered. "But legends say there were hundreds."

"And Gri managed to beat them all?" he asked her incredulously.

The teenage girl nodded. "Yes."

Chase's jaw almost dropped in shock. "Wow..."

Clair looked down. "Sadly, despite all the kaiju attacks, most people still don't believe in Gri."

"Seriously?" Lea blinked.

"Why don't they?" Sora asked. Clair shrugged. "They have multiple reasons. Some say it's old fashioned to believe in Gri, others say the religion Gri gave mankind is too oppressive and restrictive."

Anne frowned a bit. "They seriously think that?"

Beast looked back at them. "People have the right to follow what they believe."

They all had almost forgotten Beast was there. "Oh. Sorry for not including you." Clair apologized. Beast just looked forward. "You don't have to apologize."

Aurora just folded her arms as she glanced around them. "Let's just take care of these Heartless."

Chase squinted as he looked around. "I can't see anything..." he muttered. Well, for one, they _were_ in a dark part of the castle. As Chase tried to find any signs of danger, the back of his jacket suddenly got caught on the claws of a gargoyle. "WAAAH!" he yelled in surprise.

Dylan's eyes widened. "Chase?!"

"Something's got me!" his brother panicked. Lea conjured up a fireball for a light to get a view of what had caught Chase. They could see his jacket was stuck in the claws. Chase struggled frantically, but Clair approached him. "Chase, calm down."

Lea walked over with the fireball and revealed it just to be an ordinary gargoyle statue. Chase blinked. "Oh..." He relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. Clair then worked to get Chase's jacket out of the claws with Lea providing the light for her to see what she was doing. After a few moments, she pulled him free.

Chase sighed with relief. Dylan smirked at his brother. "You got scared over a statue?"

"I thought it was one of those Gargoyle Heartless!" Chase defended. Clair looked at it. It did have a bestial build with bull's horns and a demonic face. "It is creepy looking." she nodded in agreement. Dylan glanced at it and flinched. "Whoa."

Jason looked at the statue as well. "Whoever decorated this place had serious issues." he remarked.

Beast shot him a look. "It wasn't always like this. The statues weren't this... scary looking. Not until that enchantress cursed me, as well as the entire castle. Then these statues became these hideous monsters."

Anne glanced at the statue herself and shuddered. "I'm not arguing that one."

They then resumed their trek down the corridor. Anne was still creeped out by all the statues, so she tried not to look at them, staring straight ahead as she walked. The ones she saw were enough to give her nightmares. There were still no sign of the Heartless, however. Beast glanced back and forth at the statues they passed by. "They're here somewhere..." he said with a frown.

Chase looked into a gargoyle's mouth. Even though it was made of stone, it still creeped him out. He edged away from it. "Not in there..."

"Why would you think a Heartless would be in THAT?" Jason questioned him.

"I don't know." the teen admitted with a shrug.

Dylan shook his head. "Keep an eye on the statues. Remember what happened last time."

Chase started whistling a tune to try and take his mind of the tension. Jason eyed a statue as they passed by. The statue just stared back at him with those gray, stone eyes. He wasn't going to get caught off guard again. He punched it, but not as hard as he would've in the past, as that would've broken his fist.

"Easy with that!" Donald scolded.

"I'm just checking to see if it's one of those things in disguise." Jason told him, holding his fist. "Obviously, it's not..."

"Blockhead." Aurora said.

Jason frowned at her and prepared to say something, but they were interrupted by a gargoyle jumping off the wall. "Watch out!" Riku warned, quickly calling his Keyblade to his hand. Beast snarled upon seeing the possessed statue. "This again?!" Anne asked as she summoned her Keyblade as well.

The Gargoyle Warrior bounded towards them. Before Chase could react, it rammed itself into him, knocking him back. Chase let out a cry of pain as he was stumbled back. Dylan's eyes widened before he glared at the possessed statue angrily, unsheathing his sword. "Hey! That's my brother, you stupid pile of rock!" He charged at the stone creature as the lightning pattern on his sword glowed. The Gargoyle Warrior turned to attack him, but Dylan slashed at it first and electrocuted it. The moving statue twitched a bit, giving Dylan an opening to attack. He slashed at it again, delivering some damage.

Beast charged in next with a growl. "Stay out of my castle!" he exclaimed before ramming his claws into the Gargoyle Warrior, mercilessly slashing it across the stone chest. The statue looked ready to crumble, but it attempted to attack one last time. The master of the castle just let out another roar before delivering a powerful swipe from his claws, dealing the final blow. A black mist emerged from the rubble and quickly vanished. The Beast snarled at the pile of rock.

Chase's jaw dropped. "Whoa..."

Dylan helped his brother up. "You okay?"

He held his side. "Yeah... But man, that hurt."

The Beast turned around to look at the group. "Are any of you hurt?" he asked them. "I am." Chase answered, holding his side. Riku cast Cure on the brown haired teenager and the bruise vanished, as well as the pain. Beast glanced around. "Come on."

As they resumed following him, Jason glanced at the Beast. He took down a possessed statue with just his claws... and acted like it was nothing. Just how strong was this guy? He wasn't sure he wanted the answer.

As they neared one of the larger halls, a few Heartless suddenly appeared. One of them, much to Anne's suprrise, was shaped like a dog with blue body, a red spiked collar, and yellow, spiral eyes. "Huh?!"

"Is that a dog?!" Chase asked.

"Pretty freaky looking one, if you ask me." Dylan added.

"Maybe it's friendly." Clair suggested with a shrug. The dog-like Heartless snarled at them and let out a loud bark, creating a bit of a shockwave that knocked them back. "Okay, not friendly! Definitely not friendly!"

"What kinda Heartless is this?!" Anne asked. "A Bad Dog?" Chase tried. Riku gripped Way to Dawn in his hand. "More of a Rabid Dog!" he corrected.

It then bit Chase's foot. "YEOW!" he yelled as he held his foot. The Rabid Dog snarled and tried to bite him again, but he moved out of the way. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Chase hopped on one foot while he held the injured one. "I hope I don't get rabies." he winced.

Donald healed him quickly. Another Rabid Dog charged at them, but its snout met Goofy's shield when it leapt at the group. Chase then got an idea and grabbed Goofy's shield. "Need to borrow this!" he told him.

"Hey!" Goofy protested. "Sorry!" Chase apologized again, then he held it with both hands and threw it like a frisbee. The Rabid Dogs grabbed it. Chase charged at them while they got into a tug of war with it and kicked the two Heartless, sending them tumbling back. "Yeah!"

One let out a bark and charged at Anne, hitting her and sending her tumbling back. "Agh!" she exclaimed as she tumbled back.

Sora shot a fireball at one and blasted it back. One charged at Jason and bit him on the arm. "OW!" he yelled in pain, then tried shaking the Rabid Dog off before whacking it with his Keyblade. "Get off me!" he exclaimed, but it kept latching on. "Bad dog! Let go!"

Another Heartless attacked him and he ends up getting knocked to the ground. The Heartless moved in for the final blow. However it was grabbed by a massive paw. It yiped in surprised as the Beast held it up in the air, snarling in its face before throwing it out the window. He then forced the other Rabid Dog off Jason's arm and growled at the other Heartless, letting out a loud roar. The dog-like Heartless charged at him, but he simply swiped at them with his claws.

Beast snarled as they bit into him, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. He growled before grabbing one off his shoulder and chucking it across the hall, allowing Sora to slice through it. Chase ran around and began to fight. "Payback!" he exclaimed. Anne summoned her Keyblade and stabbed one herself. It yiped, then she slashed it again and destroyed it, releasing the heart. Aurora kicked one away, but it barked loudly, sending out a shock wave and knocking it back.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed. She managed to roll back on her feet. "They're being a pain!"

Lea avoided a shockwave by rolling out of the way. He saw it charge at him, so he held his Keyblade out and pressed his hand against the flat end of it to use as a shield. The Rabid Dog ended up ramming into it and tumbled a few feet back. It was dazed for a few moments, then it shook its head and stood back up.

Jason tried to attack one, but he missed. The Heartless let out a growl as it backed up and bit him on his rear end. "YEOW!" he exclaimed. Aurora shook her head at that. He struggled to get it off, but Beast ran at it and pulled it off. Beast then gave Jason a look. The teen got the feeling he wasn't impressed with him. He turned around and rejoined the battle. "Be on your guard!" he told Jason. He only nodded in reply.

Clair dodged a bite from a Rabid Dog and brought her Keyblade down on it. The Heartless yelped at that. Another latched onto her Keyblade. "No, you don't!" Chase kicked it, forcing to let go. The Heartless then snarled. "Uh... nice doggie... nice doggie..."

It began to run after him. Remembering his speed, he darted circles around it to confuse it. The Rabid Dog looked to be sick and fell on its side. Chase paused and smirked. "You get dizzy, doggie?" he asked. Kairi then slashed through it and destroyed it. Jason then tried to slice another, but Aurora beat him to it. "What the- hey!" Jason protested. Dylan sliced through another while Jason frowned at Aurora. "I was gonna take that one!"

Donald shot a Blizzard spell at one. "Does it matter?"

"Yes, it does!" Jason dodged a bite. Aurora shot him a glare. "Numbskull."

Jason frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but Anne crashed into his back. "Wha?!" was all he could get out as they tumbled back. "Ouch!" Anne exclaimed. She accidentally elbowed Jason in the face as she tried to get up.

"Hey!"

"Sorry!" Anne cringed as she managed to push herself up. Jason got up as well. "Try not to land on me next time..." he suggested. A Heartless was suddenly thrown at him. "... well, at least SHE didn't land on ya!" Chase called. Jason threw the Heartless at Chase. He easily dodged it before Riku skewered it, destroying the Heartless and releasing the heart. That was the last of them.

Jason held his face as he was healed. _"That was pathetic."_ he thought in his head. _"I was a complete fool there. I let that thing BITE me. Right on my-"_

"Jason?" Clair asked. Jason looked at his cousin. "What?" he asked.

"Are you okay?"

Anne looked at her. "A little redundant, don't you think?"

Beast glanced back at them. "We have to keep moving. We need to make sure the Heartless are erased from my castle."

"Gotcha!" Sora nodded. Jason remained at the back of the group. He felt so humiliated. He kept his eyes trained on the ground.

"Jason?"

"Just making sure our backs are covered."

Aurora and Beast glanced back at him. "You're sulking." Aurora said.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"I am not."

"You are too."

Anne's eye twitched with slight annoyance before she reached to put her headphones on to block them out, but Beast just shot a look at the two bickering teens. "Both of you knock it off. We have other things to deal with."

Aurora opened her mouth to speak, but Clair quickly said, "If you're going to say something sarcastic around the Master of this castle, I suggest you hold your tongue."

Aurora didn't speak at that. Beast snorted before looking around them, keeping an eye on the statues just in case. Chase made some faces at them. Dylan shook his head. Was he trying to tick off the Heartless in disguise?

"If only I had a marker." Chase remarked. "I'd give them mustaches."

"I don't think Beast would like that." Sora said. "Come on. There's a gazillion statues here. You really think he'd notice?" Chase asked. He got his answer by Beast shooting him a look. "Guess you know this place like the back of your hand." Chase grinned sheepishly. "Or paw. Or whatever that is."

Dylan looked at him. "Chase..."

"Shutting up now."

Anne shook her head at that as they continued on their little trek. Beast then paused in the middle of the path and held out his arm, signaling them to stop as his ears perked up. "What is it?" Chase asked.

Jason motioned for him to be quiet. "But-" Chase protested.

"Zip!" Jason whispered. Reluctantly, Chase kept his mouth shut. Beast crouched down with a growl. "Heartless..."

Several Heartless suddenly appeared again. Aurora growled. "Just how many of these things are there?!"

"I wish I knew." Lea replied as he called forth his Keyblade. One of the Heartless, a Rabid Dog, sent out a shockwave, knocking Chase back. The speedy teen tumbled backwards from the blow, but somehow managed to skid back on his feet.

Another Heartless, which was shaped just like a Rabid Dog, but at least three times larger than one and has a green color scheme with a yellow spiked collar, growled at them. "Snapper Dog?!" Donald exclaimed. "Watch out, these things are more dangerous than the smaller ones!" Sora warned the group as he called forth Kingdom Key. The Snapper Dog growled at them viciously before letting out an even more powerful bark, much stronger than the Rabid Dog's.

Clair ended up getting knocked back by it. She grunted as she hit the wall and slid down it.

Hoping for some payback for the incident earlier one of the Rabid Dogs, Jason charged behind one and whacked it with his Keyblade. It stumbled forward in surprise at that before turning around and snarling at him. Before it could even attack, Jason slashed at it again and dealt more damage. "Eat that!"

The Rabid Dog stumbled before vanishing into a cloud of darkness as the heart was released, floating up into the air. The Snapper Dog managed to bite on Anne, making her cry out in pain as she staggered away. It prepared to attack her again, but it was thrown off its balance by a sudden green and blue blur speeding by. It shook its head with confusion before looking around and noticed that Chase had helped up his friend.

Before the Snapper Dog had a chance to attack again, Dylan attacked it from the side with a slash from his blade. The larger of the Heartless staggered a bit from the surprise attack. Chase helped Anne away from the giant dog-like Heartless. Noticing Anne injured, Donald healed his teammate with Cure. Anne felt the pain immediately disappear after that and gripped her Keyblade. "Thanks!" she nodded before charging back into the fight.

Goofy spun around with his shield, hitting a couple Rabid Dogs in the process and destroying them.

Sora launched himself at a wall and used Flowmotion, bounding off it and used his Keyblade to latch onto the Snapper Dog. It hooked onto it and he spun around it, using a move he learned in the Realm of Sleep before throwing the Snapper Dog several feet away with Kingdom Key. "Yeah!"

Dylan's jaw dropped in shock at the display. Clair slowly pushed herself back up, wincing a bit. "Ouch..." she groaned, then she quickly avoided a bite from a nearby Rabid Dog. The teenager gripped her Keyblade in her hands as the Rabid Dog crouched low and let out a bark. She held her Keyblade out as a shield and to her surprise, the shockwave bounced off and it hit the smaller Heartless instead, stunning it!

The teen girl stared in disbelief for a moment before snapping out of it and attacking the Rabid Dog, destroying it and releasing the heart.

Aurora tried to attack a Rabid Dog, but it scampered away. Nearby, Beast was facing off against a few small Heartless himself. The Rabid Dogs snarled at him as one leapt up and bit into his shoulder. Beast growled before snatching it up and throwing the small Heartless off him. But behind him, a dark mist entered a statue and possessed it. The stone figure then leapt off the wall and stumbled towards Beast. The former prince's ears perked up, hearing the noise and a low rumble came from his throat. As the Gargoyle Warrior attempted to attack him, Beast whirled around and left a deep scratch in it with his claws.

A Rabid Dog lunged at Beast from behind and ended up biting down on his tail. The Beast howled with pain before grabbing it and chucking it out the window, ignoring the throbbing pain in his tail as he turned his attention back to the Gargoyle Warrior, which attempted to ram itself into him. He growled and managed to dodge it before slashing it across the back with his claws, sending it stumbling towards Sora, who finished it off with a final slice at the weakened area, shattering the possesed statue and forcing the Heartless possessing it out of it.

Jason then sliced through a Heartless, but then a Rabid Dog lunged at him snapping its jaws. It then sunk its teeth into his leg. Jason yelled in pain and tried to pry it off his leg, but ended up falling over. The Rabid Dog latched on firmly. Growling with pain, Jason whacked the Heartless on the head with his Keyblade in an attempt to force the dog-like Heartless to let him go. Someone else ended up prying it off him, which was the Beast. The Beast snarled at the smaller Heartless before chucking it across the hall. He then attacked another Heartless while Jason stumbled up to his feet, holding his leg.

He tried putting weight on his leg, then cringed as pain shot through it. Jason tried to remember what kind of healing spells Merlin told them about. What was it...? Heal? Repair? Wait a minute, it was Cure!

He held his Keyblade up. "Cure!" Nothing happened. "Cure! Cure! Come on, CURE!" he exclaimed, trying to make the spell work. Meanwhile, Heartless were converging on him. One Shadow lunged at him, so he quickly sliced through it as he tried to cast Cure on himself again. Still no good, though. Another Shadow tried to attack him, but he stumbled away. Anne ended up coming to his aid. "Cure!" she called as she held her Keyblade up, casting the healing spell. It worked, healing his leg. Jason regained his balance, the pain vanishing from his leg before he slashed at a Rabid Dog near him, releasing the heart.

He then charged back into the fray. He let out a yell as he slammed his Keyblade down on a Gargoyle Warrior. It knocked him back, though. He was sent crashing into Aurora. "Get off me!" Aurora groaned.

"That thing knocked me back!" Jason retorted, holding his side as he stumbled back to his feet. Aurora then charged at the Snapper Dog to try and attack the larger Heartless. She slammed her Keyblade into its side, dealing the final blow. It vanished and a heart floated out of the black mist. Jason was suddenly tackled from the side and he was sent flying to the ground by a Gargoyle Warrior. Since it was made of stone, it hurt quite a bit. "Ow..." He tried to push himself up, feeling the throbbing pain in his shoulder. However, the statue got him first. It rammed itself into him once again, sending him tumbling back.

Jason growled as he struggled to get up. His shoulder practically screamed in pain now. Lea snuck up on the Gargoyle Warrior in an attempt to attack it from behind to help Jason. The pyro hit it in the back with his Keyblade, then shot a Fire spell at the possessed statue, managing to destroy the Heartless. Lea then helped Jason up and casted Cure on him to heal his wounds. Jason just looked down. He couldn't use that stupid spell and he ended up looking like a complete fool. Just like when the Rabid Dog bit him earlier.

The defeat of the Gargoyle Warrior signified the last of the Heartless in the area being destroyed. Clair went to check on her cousin. "Are you okay?" she asked him. He looked at her. "Do I look okay?"

She shook her head. "You don't sound like it."

He walked past her. "Let's just keep moving..."

"This way." Beast said as he continued onwards. Clair looked at Jason for a moment. "Jason...?"

Jason just kept walking. As they pressed further into the castle, Jason's mood did not improve. He kept his head down and his hands shoved in his pockets. He also refused to speak.

The Beast then pushed open a set of doors and they were met by a bright light. Anne shielded her eyes, but once they adjusted to the light, they widened seeing the massive room. Unlike the rest of the castle this room was... beautiful. It looked like some kind of brightly lit ballroom. It was warm and hopeful, and soft of felt like with the gloomy castle, it was out of place. There was even a chandelier and a beautiful design on the ceiling. Clair looked up with awe. "It's beautiful..." she said.

The Beast looked at her. "This... this is the ballroom." he told the newest members of the group. If people still came to have balls here, Jason would've been very surprised. "This place hasn't changed a bit." Sora remarked as he looked around. "How come this place isn't like the rest of the castle?" Anne asked.

"Belle and I, um... We come here to have a dance every now and then." Beast answered, keeping his gaze forward. Riku observed every aspect of the ball room. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but just because something is not seen doesn't mean it's not there.

Just then, a single, large Heartless materialized in the middle of the ballroom. It looked like a Rabid Dog, but it was at least five times larger with a dark purple color scheme and a large, yellow spiked collar. "Bully Dog!" Lea warned. Jason had his Keyblade at his side. The large Heartless then barked and Sora was sent reeling back from the shockwave, unable to block it in time. The Beast and Jason charged at it. He wasn't going to be made a fool of this time.

The Bully Dog rolled over a bit, but Beast knew what this meant. He leapt out of the way as the Bully Dog tried to bite him, but missed. While the large Heartless was distracted, Jason charged at it, burying his Keyblade into its side.

The large Heartless let out a yipe and tried to shake him off. It succeeded and Jason was sent flying grunting as he landed on the tile floor. Jason slowly pushed himself up as the Beast lunged to attack the Heartless. "Ow..."

Beast lunged to attack the Heartless, landing a hit with his claws. The Bully Dog let out a pained yipe from the impact. Once he was back on his feet, Jason charged at it at the same time Clair did. "Fire!" Clair shouted, shooting a fireball from the tip of her Keyblade just as Jason struck it on the other side. The Bully Dog howled from the blows.

It staggered back a couple feet before collapsing on its belly, slowly turning into a dark mist as a heart floated out of it.

Jason panted, noticing the Beast looking at him. Beast simply nodded with approval at how Jason helped take down the Heartless. Jason felt a little good at that. At least it was better than the last look the Beast gave him earlier when he got bit by that Heartless. He still felt sore about that.

The Beast then sighed, shaking his head. "The Heartless are everywhere." He then looked at them. "I need to check on Belle."

With that, he left the ballroom. Clair healed Jason. The teen rolled his shoulder a bit. "That wasn't fun..." he muttered.

Aurora crossed her arms, not saying a word. "Hey, at least it didn't bite you." Chase remarked, but quickly shut up when Jason shot him a look.

Clair was looking at the mural on the ceiling. It was quite beautiful, and she bet it was even more so up close.

"What now?" Dylan asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, since Beast is checkin' on Belle, maybe we should check for any more Heartless." Goofy suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Sora nodded. Together, they left the ballroom, but Clair lagged behind a bit, still looking at the beauty of the area. She never saw anything like it...

"Clair!" Jason called, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head. "Huh? What?" She stumbled, and realized she was about to fall down the stairs. Thankfully, someone caught her. It was Chase.

Her eyes widened. "Thanks..."

"No prob." he smiled at her once she had regained her balance before the two went to catch up with the others.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a village pub far away from the castle, a musclar black haired man in a red shirt lined with a yellow collar with a brown belt and black pants sat in a large, deerskin chair sulking. Behind him on the wall were at least a dozen mounted heads antlers, all of which belonging to animals he hunted in the past. He seemed to be in a rather foul mood at the moment.

"Belle rejected _me_? How could she?" he grumbled to himself. A long while ago, he had tried to propose to Belle, that old loon Maurice's beautiful daughter. He had been publicly humiliated when she rejected him.

He threw his tankard into the fireplace. Ever since Belle's rejection, he'd been moping around, mostly in the pub in his favorite chair. He had not seen her since that day. "No one says no to Gaston!"

A short, stout little man with a large nose was trying to comfort him. "Come on, have a drink."

"No." Gaston denied as he crossed his arms. "Nothing helps. I'm disgraced."

"Who, you? Never. Gaston, you've got to pull yourself together." the man told him with a big, toothy grin. "How could Belle reject my proposal to marriage, LeFou?" Gaston grumbled, resting his chin on his fist.

"She's crazy, like her father." LeFou answered with a shrug. Gaston, however, grabbed him by his shirt and leaned in.

"Belle is not crazy." he frowned. LeFou smiled nervously. "Uh... whatever you say, pal."

Gaston then dropped him and resumed his moody position.

It was then the door opened up. All of the patrons in the tavern turned their attention to the front door as a man stepped through. He wore a black coat that went down to his ankles. His face was obscured by the hood and collar. All eyes fell on the mysterious man as he silently walked towards Gaston.

Gaston glanced at the stranger, still a little moody while LeFou stared up at the hooded man, taking a cautious step back. "And you are?" Gaston frowned.

"My name is of no importance at the moment." the stranger replied.

Gaston crossed his arms suspiciously. "What do you want?" he questioned.

"Gaston, is it? I have a proposition for you..."


	18. Getting Directions

Gaston looked at the hooded man with suspicion. "A proposition, you say...?" he questioned, leaning forward in his seat.

The man nodded. Gaston narrowed his eyes. "What kind of proposition?"

"I heard you talking about a woman named Belle." the man told him. "She rejected you, yes?"

Gaston's expression turned sour. "If you mean to mock me-"

"I have no intention of mocking you. Only a fool would mock someone." the hooded male replied smoothly. "What if I were to offer you a way to force Belle to be your wife?"

Gaston sat up at that. "... tell me."

The man smirked slightly underneath his hood. "I hear word that her father is a loon, that he coops himself up in his house all day working on worthless things that won't even work."

"Everyone in town knows that." LeFou remarked with a shrug.

The hooded man continued, "So give her a reason to come back. To save her father from a fate worse than death."

Gaston slowly realized what he was saying and a smirk crept up on his features. "Where is Belle, now?"

"In an enchanted castle. While she's there, she is safe from even my... abilities. However, once she comes running to keep her father out of the asylum, she will be yours. the man replied. Gaston thought about this. "Hm... I'll think about it." he told him, crossing his arms.

"I will have your answer in the morning. Make sure it is the right answer." the hooded man ordered. "Hey, why the morning? Can't he have more time to think?" LeFou asked. The man in the black coat glanced at him. Even though LeFou couldn't see his face, he felt a bit intimidated and took a step back. "Time waits for now man. I've got a schedule to stick to." the hooded man added. "Tell you what. You have until tomorrow night for your answer. If it's the wrong one... you will know."

With that, the man turned on his heel and left the tavern without another word as all the customers stared at him until he stepped out the door.

LeFou shivered. "That guy was definitely creepy." he remarked to Gaston.

"But he may be useful." Gaston said.

The short man looked up at his friend. "Really?"

"Yes. He might be able to help me finally get Belle."

LeFou rose an eyebrow. "But... doesn't something seem... strange about that man?"

Gaston shook his head. "No one could be stranger than Maurice."

"Well, he came in wearing a black coat. And we really didn't see his face." LeFou pointed out. "That's why I said to give me a while to think." Gaston retorted. "Gaston, thinking's a dangerous pass time." LeFou told the muscular man. Gaston rolled his eyes at that. "I know. But I need to consider my options."

* * *

In the World That Never Was, Josh followed Xemnas down a large hall inside the castle that he was led to. Their steps sounded rather hollow as the walked down the pathway. "This shall be where you will learn to harness the power of darkness." Xemnas told him.

They then arrived in a large room with gray walls that had blue lines.

Josh looked around. This room was so simple, yet something felt... strange. Empty.

Xemnas then turned to face the teen. "Here, you shall train." he stated. "I'm ready." Josh nodded with a frown. Xemnas seemed to smirk for a moment before suddenly striking the dirty blonde haired teenager.

Josh staggered from the blow. He scowled before charging at the cloaked man, only to be blasted back again with ease. Josh grunted as he landed on his back. He sat up and glared at Xemnas. "What does this have to do with it?!" he demanded with a scowl on his features.

"Fueling your rage." was the man's reply. "You wish to learn how to use the forces of darkness? Then at least try."

The teenager growled at that before pushing himself back to his feet. That statement ticked him off. He wanted to learn how to use this power now!

Gritting his teeth, he charged at the silver haired man again, only for him to suddenly vanish into thin air. He reappeared behind him and punched Josh, sending him stumbling forward, making him fall on his stomach and roll over. He glared up at the man from the floor. "I'll get you for that!"

He then tried to attack Xemnas, wanting to teach him not to mess with him. He found something that looked an awful a lot like a red lightsaber just inches away from his face. He noticed it seemed to be coming from the man's wrists. That made him freeze in place. One wrong move and he'd probably be dead.

Xemnas then had the ethereal blades retract as Josh pushed himself back up. "What was that?" he demanded. Xemnas merely looked at him. "My weapons. Generated from the powers of darkness. They are only for my use."

"What can I do with these powers? Show me how to use them." the blonde haired teen demanded. The silver haired man glanced at him. "Ever eager to use the darkness, are we?" Xemnas asked. "Very well."

At that, the teen rushed at him again. Xemnas merely blasted him back. The blonde skidded on his back before stopping, then sat up with a frown. He wanted to blast him. To _hurt_ him. At that thought, a small orb of darkness slowly formed in his hand. Josh stared at it before smirking victoriously. "I did it."

Xemnas seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but the bully didn't give him a chance. He lunged forward to plunge the orb into the cloaked man. Xemnas simply smirked. At the last second, he vanished before reappearing a few feet away from the teen. "Excellent. Your hatred grows.

Josh narrowed his eyes at the silver haired man. "Teach me more."

Xemnas had a ball of darkness form in his hand. "Focus on your anger. Think of the people you hate, and imagine them suffering at your hand."

Josh smirked at the idea and looked at his hand. He thought of all those stupid weak people at school... How they cowered when he passed by...

Those losers would know... who was superior.

He smirked at the thought. It was then an orb of darkness materialized in his hand. He stared at it, seeing the power in it. It was almost like he could see the people he hated writhing in agony, begging him to stop hurting them. He once again smirked at the thought of that. At first, he liked pushing people around so he could be on top... making them fear him... but now that he had discovered this power, he had a new reason. He could dominate those weak ones. Crush anyone he hated.

The orb seemed to grow stronger at the thought.

Xemnas watched from afar. He could sense the darkness growing in Josh's heart. He smirked, plans for this one already forming in his head.

Josh then looked at Xemnas, clenching his fist and snuffing out the darkness in his hand. "I want to learn more."

He wanted Xemnas to uphold his deal of the bargain. He taught him how to use the darkness, then Josh would go out on his own again. He suspected the creep would have something up his sleeve, and he'd be ready if he tried anything.

* * *

On a cobblestone road, two figures laid unconcious in the middle of the path. Except for the occasional twitch of a finger, they appeared to be lifeless. Some bystanders were murmuring to themselves, while others had gone to get people to see if they were dead.

One was a woman with short, brown hair. The other was a man with black hair. Their clothing had a couple tears here and there, and they had some bruises on their skin. Their hair was a mess and stains covered their clothes, making them look like they've been through a hurricane.

The man's eyes twitched as he laid there on the road. Then, with a groan, he sat up, cringing as he opened his eyes.

"Ow... my head... and back... and everything." he winced. He glanced over at his wife, who laid next to him. "Eileen? Eileen!" He then gently shook her shoulder.

When she didn't respond for a moment, he feared the worse. But then his wife's eyes twitched.

She coughed and sat up, gasping for breath. "Oh my...!"

"Eileen, are you okay?" James asked his wife as he placed a supporting hand on her back. Eileen coughed before she nodded, brushing some hair out of her face. "I'm fine." She then looked around. "But... James, where are we?"

James looked around as well, finally noticing the bystanders looking at them. They were dressed rather strangely, almost like they were in some medieval film.

They were murmuring amongst themselves as they stared at the husband and wife. James placed a protective arm in front of his wife as he helped her up to her feet, stumbling a bit on his own as he did. "Who are you, stranger?" a man asked as he approached them.

"I'm James. This is my wife, Eileen... We're a little lost. Where exactly are we...?" he questioned, noticing that the area they were in was _nothing_ like their town. A few murmurs were heard throughout the crowd again at that. The same man looked surprised for a moment before answering, "You are in Camelot."

The two of them blinked. "Camelot? What's that?" Eileen asked.

"You've never heard of Camelot?" the man asked, aghast by this question. "We're... we're from a long way from here." James lied, quickly saving them.

"Camelot is the greatest kingdom ever built in all the land." the man explained to the newcomers. James blinked hearing the information. Kingdom? Had they been sucked back in time or sucked into some type of film?

The people looked at each other. "Perhaps Merlin would know..." a woman muttered.

"Merlin?" James asked.

"The great wizard. He was the wisest man around, but he left years ago, for King Arthur had become a great ruler." another bystander explained.

Eileen's eyes then widened as she realized something. Her daughter was nowhere in sight! In fact, they never saw her after she left for school!

"Have any of you seen our daughter?! She's got brown hair, green eyes... she usually has a pair of headphones around her neck..." she described. This only earned looks of confusion from the crowd. "I'm afraid we have not." a woman answered, though confused by the word 'headphones'.

James kicked a rock. "If only those blasted monsters-"

"Monsters?" There were frightened murmurs in the crowd.

Eileen nodded. "Our home was attacked by monsters. We were separated from our daughter." She tried to remember what the strange creatures looked like. "They were black. Black as night. With yellow dots for eyes."

Now there were more frightened murmurs. James was starting to wonder if this had been a good idea.

"You have to see the king immediately." a bigger, kind of fatter man, said. "All our villages have been attacked immediately."

"Why?" James asked them. "We do not know. But it might have something to do with the witch Morgana." a man thought out loud. One of the men began to lead them through the village towards the gates to a large castle. "People say that you two had fallen out of a hole that mysteriously appeared before vanishing once you fell out."

"We did?" James asked.

He nodded. "You are not from the Otherworld, are you?"

James and Eileen had no idea what that meant. "Not the last time I checked." James said. "We're from a place called Welton."

The man stared at them with a blank look. "That's not a place we're familiar with."

"Neither is this place." James retorted.

"And your clothing... it's not a kind we have ever seen before..." the man told them. Eileen looked at herself at that. She realized she was the only woman in the area wearing pants while the rest wore dresses. She'd have to get used to the stares, apparently.

"So, who's King Arthur?" James questioned the man.

"I am King Arthur." Everyone turned to see a man approaching them. The surrounding civilians gasped before bowing down before him. He was dressed in a red tunic with brown trousers. He had a pair of boots on with a sword sheathed to his side and a crown atop his head. His bearded face was neatly trimmed and he walked with authority.

James and Eileen stared at the man with slight surprise as he approached them. "K-King Arthur?" Eileen asked. He nodded in reply. Immediately, the two knelt down before him. King Arthur looked down at them. "You may rise."

They both got to their feet. "What brings you to Camelot?" Arthur questioned.

Eileen looked at him. "It's our daughter. She's missing. She's got brown hair, green eyes... She went missing after our home was attacked."

"I'm afraid I haven't." King Arthur told them, shaking his head.

"We don't even know how we ended up here. One minute we're trying to get away from these things and the next, we wake up in the road." James shrugged. "People have been saying the monsters that attacked us have been seen here."

King Arthur nodded. "Aye. My knights have fought several of those things while protecting the people of the realm."

"People also said that while we were unconscious, we fell out of a hole that somehow appeared out of nowhere." Eileen added. "Merlin would know more about those than I." the king admitted. "Unfortunately, he's not here."

"Forgive me for asking... but... is there a place we could stay for the night?" Eileen asked the king. "There is an inn in the village. Tell the keeper that I will pay for your expenses." Arthur instructed them. "Thanks, er, your Majesty." James said, remembering his manners at the last second. "If you see our daughter anywhere, can you please let us know?"

The king nodded. "I give you my word."

"Thank you." Eileen told the king gratefully before she and her husband headed off to find the inn that the king mentioned. James and Eileen tried to avoid the stares they were getting from bystanders as they managed to find the inn. It was called 'The Sword in the Stone'. James rose an eyebrow. That was a weird name for an inn...

He pushed the door open and let his wife enter first before stepping in himself. There were people chatting amongst themselves and laughing while drinking tankards of... something. Many were also having dinner.

Eileen stayed close to her husband as they went to the innkeeper. "Excuse us? Can we have a room for two?" James asked. "The king said he will pay for it all."

The innkeeper looked at them with surprise before he nodded, leading them up a set of stairs. When he showed them their room, it was smaller than what they were used to. And it looked rather old fashioned. At least the bed was large enough for them. "Would you like some dinner?" the innkeeper offered. "The mead is freshly brewed."

"Uh... no thanks to the mead, but we can have the dinner later." Eileen said. The innkeeper nodded and left. James went to sit down on the bed while Eileen opened up the window shutters, glancing out at the village.

People were going about their daily lives. There was even a little market down in the square. Past the large gates in the distance, she could see a large castle. It was so magnificent, with its towers and parapets. "This is all so strange... it's like we landed in another time or world..." she said to James.

"Tell me about it..." James couldn't get comfortable on the bed. "Geez, what's in this mattress?" he asked out loud. He then looked. "Straw?!" he exclaimed with surprise before groaning and falling back onto the bed. "We're never gonna get to sleep tonight..."

"I don't think I can sleep again." Eileen shook her head. "Not after what happened."

His eyes narrowed at that. Whatever those things were, their daughter must have encountered them...

He clenched his fist. He would do what it took to get their child back.

Eileen looked down sadly. Was their daughter even alive..? She prayed none of those... things got her. She then looked outside. She had to assume the best. She had to believe Anne was out there.

She approached James on the bed and sat down next to him with a worried expression. "If Anne is out there... do you think she's okay...?"

James looked at her, before answering honestly. "I don't know. But... we need to believe in her. You've seen how resourceful she is."

The woman was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. Worrying won't help her."

James wrapped an arm around his wife and held her close to him. She appreciated that.

Wherever their daughter was, they prayed she was okay, and that she would come back to them safely.

* * *

Back at Beast's Castle, the group was walking through the halls to find the Beast and Belle to inform them that they had found no more Heartless. They had found the Beast and Belle in a dining hall. "Beast, we've checked most of the area." Sora informed him. "There's no sign of any more Heartless in the castle."

Beast glanced at his old friend. "Thank you." he nodded, then furrowed his brow. "But... I can't rest knowing the Organization is back."

"We'll handle them." Riku stated.

The Beast frowned a bit. "... I'll be keeping an eye out for anybody suspicious. None of them are getting their hands on Belle."

Sora nodded. "Definitely not."

"Do you think you can handle them on your own?" Clair asked. "We can." Belle said with confidence. "You need to be prepared in case any of the Organization comes after you." Riku told Belle. "I know." Belle nodded. "What do we do if they do come, though?"

"Stay as far out of their reach as you can." Lea advised. "And hope they get bored and go away. Which most likely won't happen, but be prepared for anything they might pull." the pyro added. Belle and the Beast nodded at that.

"If any of them lay a hand on Belle, I'll tear them apart." Beast growled.

Jason actually shuddered at that.

"Beast, calm down..." Belle told him, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. He breathed heavily before calming down. "Sorry... I'm just... worried about what they could do to you, Belle."

Clair thought how touching that was.

"Well, we better be moseying on outta here." Goofy said. "We'll come running if somethin' goes wrong."

"Thank you, Goofy." Belle nodded. She then took Beast's paw in her hands and together, they walked out of the dining hall. Sora looked at his group of friends. "Guess we better get going, guys."

Most of them nodded in agreement as they left the dining hall, going down another hallway. Lumiere stood atop a windowsill as they passed by. "Will you come back soon, my friends? With the Heartless and those people in the black coats returning, trouble is sure to be brewing."

Riku glanced at the talking candelabra. "We'll be back soon." he assured him. "You guys know what to do if anything happens here." Sora added.

Lumiere bowed. " _Oui,_ my friends. May your journey be safe."

"Thanks, Lumiere." Sora told the servant, who then hopped off the windowsill and down the hall. Soon, they arrived in the cavernous entrance hall and headed towards the large doors. Dylan took a moment to glance back. Were they going to be okay without them here? What if the Heartless struck again?

Chase and Lea pushed the doors open, pulling him out of his thoughts. Together, they all stepped out into the courtyard, closing the large wooden doors behind them.

Aurora took a moment to look around. "So, how are we getting out of here?" she questioned.

"You'll see." Sora simply told her. The group kept an eye out, looking to their right and left for any signs of trouble. Surprisingly, not one Heartless materialized in the area. As they passed the gates, Aurora blinked seeing the Gummi Ship parked on the path up ahead. "What... is that?"

"That's the Gummi Ship." Donald replied without a beat as he passed by her. Aurora glanced back at the ship. It was kind of... loud in color. "We're seriously not going to travel in that, are we?"

"We are." Jason retorted as he passed by her. Aurora frowned at him before following him up to the colorful ship as a platform was lowered for them. One by one, they all boarded the Gummi. Aurora took a look around as she entered, a bit surprised at the cockpit.

Donald took his spot at the pilot's seat and grasped the controls. Seeing this, everyone quickly got into their own seats. Aurora managed to find one just as Donald prepared for take off. The engines turned on as the platform was pulled back in while the Gummi Ship began to float off the ground. Suddenly, it sped straight upwards, forcing Aurora back into her chair as the Gummi Ship left the world behind.

A moment later, it sped down and Aurora took a moment to glance out the window, a bit surprised to see the many strange worlds out there. "What the..." she silently said to herself.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Lea asked her casually as he folded his arms behind his head, leaning back in his seat.

Aurora only stared at him before looking back at the front of the ship, watching the Gummi Ship being piloted through the Sea of the Skies. Just what exactly had she been dragged into? By the way these people were talking, it sounded very serious... but exactly _how_ serious?

She crossed her arms. She had better get some answers from them, soon.


	19. Crash Landing

**Thank you, DinoWriter23, for helping me with this chapter.**

* * *

"So let me get this straight..." Aurora said, crossing her arms. "There's this group of people that call themselves Organization XIII that are after something called Kingdom Hearts, so this guy named Xehanort is collecting vessels to put darkness into to make thirteen pieces of darkness, and he's also wanting to get seven pieces of light to make this... X-Blade? So he can start a Keyblade War?"

Aurora was trying to get caught up on everything for the past several minutes, but she was still very, _very_ confused.

"Pretty much." Lea replied.

"That's just... crazy." Aurora said.

"But it's very serious." Riku said from where he sat with his arms folded.

"Duh." Aurora retorted. "And this Keyblade can stop these... Heartless?" she asked as she called forth her own Keyblade, looking at it.

Sora nodded. "Yep."

The girl blinked. She still didn't understand why she had one. How come she was pulled into this?

She then looked at Jason. "And THIS guy got a Keyblade, too?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jason frowned.

Aurora gave him a look. "It means you're unworthy of such a tool. I mean, you, getting this thing that can fight off these creatures? All you do is pick fights." she insulted. "What?" Jason frowned a bit. Aurora rolled her eyes. "Numbskull."

"High and mighty!" Jason retorted.

Aurora glared at him. "Pea brain!" she spat.

"Guys, guys!" Sora said, standing up and getting in between the two. "Don't fight. Look, the Keyblade chooses you for a reason, so Jason has his Keyblade for a reason, too."

"Ever thought that reason was maybe the Keyblade was an idiot?" Aurora asked, dismissing her own Keyblade from her hand. Sora shook his head. "Nope." he replied without a beat.

Clair sighed, looking away from her spellbooks and at her cousin and Aurora. "Can you both please just get along?"

"No!" the two replied in unison. Riku looked at her. "Were they always like this?"

"For as long as I can remember, yes. Everytime they meet up, they argue." Clair sighed. "Or fight."

"He's a blockhead!" Aurora rebuked.

Jason glared at her. "And she's a prissy snob!"

"Excuse me?!"

"Alright, enough!" Riku said as he got in between the two. "You two are gonna have to learn to get along from now on, whether you like it or not."

"So behave before we have to send you to your rooms." Lea joked. "Got it memorized?"

Aurora just turned and left. Since there wasn't exactly a lot of room in the Gummi Ship, she headed to the other end of the ship and crossed her arms. Jason turned his back, too. "Hmph." they both said.

Anne shook her head. She had enough of listening to this, so she placed her headphones back on over her ears and turned the music up. Why did the universe have to bring those two together? It was a disaster waiting to happen. If they kept arguing like that, who knows what would happen? It wouldn't be good.

Riku pinched the bridge of his nose. How were they supposed to fight against the Organization with these guys constantly fighting each other?

They may as well just give up.

He shook his head. They had to get them to work together. They'd most likely get killed out there if they didn't cooperate.

They needed to find a way to help them. But how?

Chase, meanwhile, was peeking over Clair's shoulder at the spells she was reading. Clair flipped a page. "You like reading about this stuff a lot, don't ya?" Chase said to her. She nodded. "Yes... This is amazing... look at this. A spell called 'Raging Storm'. A spell where the user hovers above the ground and is surrounded by three tornadoes of fire that will burn surrounding enemies. This can serve as both an offense and a defense."

Chase smiled. "That sounds awesome." he commented. Clair smiled back at him. "Thanks. It's a little advanced for me right now. I think I'm currently on Spell Weaver or beginner level."

The teen leaned against the back of her seat. "I should probably work more on that Thunder spell. Last time I tried it, I ended up zapping myself." he remarked, making Clair chuckle. Kairi smiled at the two bonding. It was quite cute to see.

"Say, Anne, maybe you should work on some of your magic sometime, too." Clair commented. When she noticed that Anne didn't respond to her, she looked over and saw that her headphones were on. The Harthynian girl got up and walked over to her before taking the headphones off Anne's ears. Anne blinked in surprise when she realized music wasn't blasting in her ears at the moment and looked up. "Huh?"

"I said maybe you should work more on your magic."

The green eyed girl blinked. "Why's that?"

"Well, you can't rely on swinging your Keyblade all the time when fighting Heartless, right?" Clair shrugged. "She's right. You need to work on making your magic attacks stronger in case you're in a tight spot in a fight." Sora said.

Anne was about to say something, but the Gummi Ship shuddered a bit. All talking ceased immediately at that. The green eyed brunette stiffened. "What was that?" Anne inquired.

Donald gripped the controls as he pushed some buttons and checked the monitor, which began to beep. The Gummi Ship suddenly lurched to the side a bit. "Whoa!" Sora gasped as he grabbed a seat to steady himself.

Anne was beginning to grow nervous. "What's going on?!"

"We're being pulled to a world!" Donald grasped the controls and tried to steer the Gummi Ship away. However, his attempt failed and the Gummi Ship continued to fly towards the mysterious new world. "We're going in!"

Chase scrambled to his seat as the ship began to shake as it descended quickly. Anne held onto her seat fearfully with wide, panicked eyes.

Aurora clung onto her own seat. Why would they be forced to a world? This was insane!

Lea was clutching to the dashboard by the window as he tried to get to his seat. However, the ship suddenly began to plummet downward, forcing Lea onto his back. "Oh, come on!"

"Donald, let me try!" Riku made his way to the front where Donald sat desperately trying to regain altitude and took hold of the controls. "Lemme drive!" Donald snapped before he yanked the controls away from Riku, causing the ship to swerve to the side and nearly making the group fall out of their seats. Lea ended up rolling a bit.

"Donald, this is no time to argue." Riku said with a frown.

"No!" Donald refused to give the controls. The Gummi Ship was rocking from side to side as it descended quickly. "We're gonna crash!" Anne cried out. "Donald, this is no time to hog the controls!" Riku told the mage, but the duck stubbornly ignored him.

"You're gonna get us killed, Flat Foot!" Jason yelled.

"SHUT UP!" Donald snapped. The Gummi Ship then did a nosedive. Anne nearly screamed like a banshee at that. She felt like she was going to be sick and her heart was beating out of her chest.

Everyone on the ship yelled as they clung onto whatever they could find. Donald struggled to pull the ship upward, but it was no good. Outside, the scenery changed as the colorful ship gained more speed as they entered the world. "Hold on!" Donald exclaimed. Kairi shut her eyes tightly as she could feel the force pulling her back into her seat.

Aurora could see a lot of green out the windows. The green grew closer and closer until... dirt spilled up onto the windows with a deafening crash. The Gummi shook and rattled as if caught in a violent hurricane.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a lush, green forest with many bushes, trees, and branches that spread outward, a figure suddenly jumped off a branch and moved to another one, soaring in the air.

As the figure jumped into an area with sunlight, it was revealed to be a teenage boy with tan skin, sky blue eyes that shined with energy, and spiky blonde hair that seemed to stick out everywhere. The most striking feature was the whisker marks on both of his cheeks.

Most of his bangs were held back by a black cloth with a metal plate sewn onto it. The symbol of a leaf was engraved in the metal. The boy also wore an orange and black jumpsuit with black sandals that had his toes exposed.

The teen landed perfectly atop another branch. He then took in a deep breath. He was enjoying the fresh air, closing his eyes as he exhaled. Today was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for running through the woods.

"Today's going to be a great day." he thought out loud. But then, as he opened his eyes, he saw a colorful ship falling from the sky in the distance. He could hear faint screams coming from it. "What the...?"

He could feel the shockwave when it crashed into the ground. It ended up knocking him off the branch.

"WHOA!" the blonde teen exclaimed, then grunted as he landed hard on his back. He winced as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "What the heck was that?"

The boy climbed up to his feet and dashed off towards the direction of the crash to investigate.

However, he was unaware of the beady yellow eyes lurking in the shadows...

* * *

Back with the group, Anne held her head, groaning. Her ears were ringing from the crash and her heart was beating fast. Lea was trying to pull himself up from the floor, feeling rather dizzy from the tumbling he did. Everything seemed to be spinning for him.

Donald rattled his head in his seat as he managed to sit back up straight. Anne swore that steam was coming from his ears, and his feathers looked red in the head.

"Are you crazy?! You almost got us killed!" Jason frowned as he staggered out of his seat.

"Oh, shut up!" Donald spat at him.

Anne frowned. "You should have gave the controls to Riku!" she said, still shaken from the fall and crash.

Donald then glared at her. "You stay out of this! Listen to your music or something!"

"You'll think of something!"

"If you weren't hogging the controls, we wouldn't have crashed!" Jason spat. Aurora stumbled out of her seat. "You couldn't have done better." she told Jason.

Jason shot a glare at her. "Save it." Turning back to Donald, he continued, "You should've let Riku had the controls!"

"Hey fellas, calm down..." Goofy said, trying to break up the argument.

Donald glared up at the teen. "Only I handle the controls!"

"And who named you the pilot of this thing?!" Jason shot back, crossing his arms.

"Queen Minnie!"

"So?!"

"So I'm in charge here!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Jason spat.

Donald then hit him. "NO!"

Jason lunged at him, but Sora and Riku intervened. "Hey, hey, break it up!"

"He almost got us killed cause he didn't wanna give up the controls!" Anne frowned, crossing her arms.

"Fighting's not going to change that." Riku said. "Right now, we need to calm down, figure out where we are, and see if we can get the Gummi up and running again."

Donald humphed and crossed his arms, turning his head away from Anne and Jason.

"Let's get out of this death trap." Jason agreed. Donald just stuck his tongue out at them. Anne shook her head and walked away from the duck to try and calm down.

Chase's legs shook a bit as he got out of his seat. "At least nobody got hurt... Right? Nobody's hurt?"

"Define 'hurt'." Dylan said as he used the dashboard for support as he lifted himself up.

"I feel like I've been through a rockslide..." Lea commented with a wince, holding his back.

Clair felt along the walls for the door. She could feel a crack at one part. "I think I found the door." she called. Then she started to pull on it. It seemed to be stuck at first. She tried pulling even harder to open it. However, another set of hands grabbed the door and started pulling as well. Clair glanced to her left and saw Chase was there trying to help her out.

"Need a hand?' he offered. Clair nodded in response and the two tugged on the door as hard as they could. Kairi and Sora came to their assistance. Finally, they got it open. They pried it open before climbing out one by one with the others following.

Anne, Jason, and Donald tried to exit at the same time, but they all got stuck in the door. Anne had an annoyed look as she tried to squirm out first.

"Stop pushing!" Donald growled at them.

"Wait your turn!" Anne retorted.

"Then you move!"

"What do you think we're trying to do?!" Jason said. They continued to argue with each other while trying to squeeze through. But then they all fell out at the same time. Anne landed on her stomach. Jason, on his head. Donald landed on both of them. They groaned as they did.

"Get off!" The teens shoved Donald off them. Donald rolled onto the ground. He squawked before jumping to his feet.

Sora stepped a few feet back to assess the damage. "Well... at least it's not that bad."

A piece of the Gummi Ship then broke off and fell to the ground with a clang.

"... You were saying?" Dylan deadpanned at the brown haired teen. Sora just chuckled nervously.

"Great." Lea remarked sarcastically.

"What now?" Chase asked.

Riku looked around at their surroundings. "We need to find out where we are and also get the Gummi Ship fixed."

"But, uh, where're we gonna find help in the middle of the woods?" Goofy asked, scratching his head with confusion.

"I think we can fix it." Sora said. "We can, right?"

"But we should also get our bearings and see where we are." Riku added.

Chase shrugged. "Got an instruction manual lying around somewhere?"

He received no answer from that.

"Doesn't this thing need Gummi blocks for repairing something like this? I remember Yen Sid told me about that a bit during training." Kairi mentioned.

Anne glanced at the redhead with confusion, dusting some dirt off her as she did. "Gummi blocks?"

"It's what the ship is made of."

"Now I know you're making stuff up." Aurora said, not really believing her.

Kairi shook her head. "I'm not. They really are made out of that."

Lea tried to move some dirt out of the way at the sides of the ship to try and check for anymore damage. He crouched down to examine what he found. There were quite a few dents on the hull, but they looked like they could easily be fixed with the help of some Gummi Blocks. There was also smoke coming out from the engines.

The pyro turned back to face the group. "Well, it may take a while to dig this thing out of the ground. The hull's a little banged up, but I'm pretty sure we can get that fixed as well." he informed them, scratching the back of his head. To be honest, he didn't know much about Gummi Ships since he used Corridors of Darkness to travel back when he was a Nobody. Lea just hoped his guesses were right.

Riku exhaled. "We'll need to figure out where we are before doing anything else. Maybe we can look for Gummi Blocks to repair this." he suggested.

Kairi nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea. But shouldn't someone stay with the Gummi Ship?"

"You're right. So, who's staying?"

All of them were silent as they paused to debate whether to stay or not. Finally, Donald spoke up, "Well, I'm staying here."

"Maybe you should stay here too." Clair suggested to Goofy. "If people here aren't used to talking animals, we don't want to freak them out."

"Ya think so?" Goofy asked. When she nodded, he added, "Okay," and moved to join Donald.

"I know what Gummi blocks look like. I'll help them look." Sora spoke up. "Well, I'm not staying here." Jason said, crossing his arms. He didn't want to be anywhere near Donald right now.

"Good." Donald growled at him. Jason shot a glare at the magician.

Aurora then pulled him away. "Come on, blockhead."

"I'll go too." Clair volunteered. "So will I." Anne agreed.

Chase walked back to the Gummi Ship. "I think I'll stay here." he told the group.

"Why?" Anne questioned her friend.

Chase merely shrugged. "Maybe to see what else happened to this. Plus, I think Donald over there needs to cool off. Maybe someone should talk to him."

"And you think you're the man for the job?" Dylan inquired.

"Yep." Chase folded his hands behind his head. "My charm and good sense of humor will cheer him up."

Dylan shook his head. "I'd better stay then, so you don't make things worse."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You sure?" Anne asked her friends, earning silent nods from them.

"Alright, then. If nobody else is staying, then let's get a move on." Riku nodded. Sora turned to look at the brothers, Donald, and Goofy. "You guys be careful here, okay?" he told them. Dylan nodded. "We will."

"Keep an eye out for anything." Riku advised before the group turned on their heels and left Donald, Goofy, Chase, and Dylan with the Gummi Ship.

* * *

As they walked throughout the mysterious woods, Sora looked right and left for any signs of Gummi Blocks or danger. None appeared to be in sight.

Clair found herself enjoying the walk through the forest. Jason kept his hands shoved in his pockets, grumbling about Donald's attitude and piloting skills.

Riku kept an eye on the shadows just in case.

Anne kicked a rock. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't see any Gummi Blocks. How big are these things, anyway?"

Sora made an estimate with his fingers. "They're about the size of a small rock."

"What?" Anne blinked with surprise.

"How are we supposed to find something like that in a forest this big?!" Jason asked.

"By leaving no stone unturned?" Clair shrugged.

Lea checked behind some bushes. "Nothing here..."

Jason kicked a rock with a groan. "Well, that sucks."

Kairi looked around the area for any sign of a Gummi Block. She then gasped as she saw a cloud of darkness form nearby, shaping into a Heartless. "Guys! Watch out!" she warned, calling forth her Keyblade.

Everyone turned and saw several Heartless appear, but to their surprise, they were some new ones. This type was about twice the size of a Shadow. The new Heartless donned a sort of headband with a metal plate sewn to it. It wore a dark red opened vest with the Heartless symbol revealed on its chest. It also had blue trousers on and had pointy feet.

"What are those?" Jason asked, regarding the new Heartless.

"I-I've never seen that kind before." Sora admitted, shocked by the look of the new Heartless. "Neither have I." Riku added as he summoned Way to Dawn.

"Well, that's just great." Anne said sarcastically.

Quickly, everyone called forth their Keyblades as the new Heartless charged at them. These Heartless, however, were quite fast. One did a flip right over Anne and attacked her from behind. Anne grunted in pain from the attack and fell forward.

One beat Jason back. Jason tried to hit the Heartless back with his Keyblade, but only ended up hitting thin air.

Kairi attempted to hit one, but it dodged the attack. "They're fast!" she exclaimed.

Sora dodged a swipe from one as he used Flowmotion, launching himself off a tree towards the same Heartless that attacked him. However, it dodged him, too. Sora's eyes widened at that as he landed back on the ground. He hadn't encountered Heartless this fast in a long time. "No way!"

Anne tried to attack one once again, but the mysterious Heartless jumped out of the way quickly as she swiped at the creature of darkness. She ended up getting kicked in the stomach by the Heartless.

Clair tried shooting a Blizzard spell at one, but the creature ran out of the way and she only ended up hitting Anne with it. It caused Anne to become encased in a block of ice, unable to move. Clair's eyes widened at what she did. "Sorry!"

Before Clair could react, she was tackled from behind by a Heartless. She grunted and struggled to push it off with her Keyblade as it attacked her, swiping at the teen with its claws. However, it was grabbed from behind and thrown off her. "You okay?" Jason asked his cousin as he helped her up.

Clair nodded as she got back to her feet. "Yeah... thanks, Jason."

The teenager was suddenly tackled by the same Heartless that attacked Clair. Jason growled and tried hitting the Heartless with his Keyblade, but it leapt away to avoid the swing.

Lea attempted to attack with his Keyblade, but the strange Heartless nimbly dodged again. "Oh, come on!" Lea growled, starting to become annoyed. He hadn't encountered Heartless this fast since his time as a Nobody.

The strange Heartless ran around the group, as if taunting them.

"How do we beat these things?!" Jason asked, growing frustrated.

"Rasengan!"

They were shocked to see an orange and black blur leap down from the trees and slam a glowing blue orb into one of the Heartless, causing it to crash into the ground, which made the ground underneath to crack a bit. That actually took care of the Heartless, though the heart that flew up was crystal grey instead of crystal red. Their unexpected help then did something with their hands. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two copies of the person popped out out of nowhere in a puff of smoke, causing a few of the group to yell in surprise. The helper and their copies then charged forward towards the Heartless. Sora was shocked to see that as the person and their copies attacked the dark creatures, and that they could keep up with these fleet-footed Heartless.

Riku was the first to snap out of his stupor before joining the orange and black clad figure in attacking.

Their helper was keeping the Heartless busy, so they were able to strike at the Heartless while they were distracted. Jason slashed at a Heartless that was knocked towards him. "Payback!"

Aurora managed to land a few blows on one, destroying it. This time, the crystal heart that floated out of it was red.

"Take this!" Sora slammed his Keyblade into one, damaging it. Clair then impaled it with hers, destroying it as it vanished back into darkness. Now just one was left.

The mysterious helper charged at the last Heartless. "Hey, ugly!"

The Heartless turned at him just in time to receive a punch to the face. As it fell back from the punch, Kairi zapped it with a Thunder spell, effectively destroying it and releasing the heart it held. The area was now clear of the dark beings.

Sora sighed with relief, then turned to their mysterious helper. "Hey, thanks. That was a close one back there."

Now that the fight was over, they could get a good look at the person. It was a teenage boy close to Sora's age with spiky blonde hair, blue eyes, and had whisker marks on his face. He was also dressed in an orange and black outfit with some sort of strange sandals. The boy scratched the back of his head. "No problem. I ran into those things a few minutes ago."

"And you took down those Heartless all by yourself?" Jason asked the stranger.

"Heartless? Is that what those weird things are called?" the guy asked.

Riku nodded. "They are."

As this conversation was going on, Clair was working on unfreezing Anne. She pulled out one of the books Merlin had given her and flipped through the pages, trying to find something about unfreezing. She did manage to find one about how fire could help, so she cautiously pointed her Keyblade at the block of ice and conjured up a fireball. Surprisingly, it was melting the ice quicker than Clair expected it to. Clair then managed to unfreeze Anne's face.

"C-C-C-C-Cold..." Anne chattered her teeth with wide eyes

"I'm getting you out as fast as I can." Clair told her.

"Anyway, who are you guys?" the orange clad teen asked them.

"I'm Sora." Sora introduced. "This is Riku and Kairi."

"Clair's working on unfreezing Anne." Riku continued. "And that's Jason and Aurora."

"And I'm Lea. We had more with us, but they stayed behind. And you are?"

The guy smirked. "The name's Naruto Uzumaki!" he declared as he jabbed a thumb at himself. Anne was still straining to get out.

"So what are you doing out here?" Sora asked.

"Well, I was jumping through the trees when I saw some sort of ship fall out of the sky. I decided to go check it out, but then I got ambushed by those Heartless things."

"Oh, that may have been us." Clair grinned a bit sheepishly as she got more of Anne unfrozen, but still muttered to herself, "I wish I had something more efficient to get her out."

"What?!" Naruto asked with surprise.

Sora scratched the back of his head. "It's a long story."

"But we need to focus on finding..." Riku noticed something in Naruto's pocket. "Where did you get that?"

Naruto blinked, then reached onto his pocket, pulling put a small, red block. "Oh, this? I found it when I was going to investigate whatever crashed out there."

"That's a Gummi Block." Lea realized.

"Gummi Block?" Naruto repeated.

"It's something we need." the pyro explained.

"Can you help us find more?" Kairi inquired as Clair finally got Anne free. Anne wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep herself warm as Clair helped her back to her feet.

"Well, I should probably tell Grandma Tsunade or Kakashi-sensei what happened." Naruto told Kairi.

That earned blank stares from the group. "Who?"

"Granny Tsunade is the leader of my village. Kakashi-sensei is my teacher." Naruto said as he tossed the Gummi Block to Sora, who caught it and stuffed it in his pocket.

Jason looked at the orange and black clad teen. "There's a village nearby?" he questioned him.

Naruto nodded. "Maybe there's more of those Gummi things there. What do you need them for, anyway?"

"Well... we crashed, and we need those to make repairs." Clair answered as Anne stood by her shivering.

That seemed good enough for Naruto. "Well, maybe after I tell Granny about the Heartless thingies, maybe we can help you find more of those Gummi Blocks!" he offered.

"That sounds great." Riku nodded.

"Lead the way." Sora told him.

"Right! Follow me!" Naruto smiled as he began to lead them through the woods towards his village.

* * *

Meanwhile, Donald was grumbling to himself as he was working on the Gummi Ship. He couldn't believe the attitude of those two earlier...

"Who do they think they are?" he muttered to himself.

"Donald, they were just shaken up." Goofy tried as Chase walked over to the duck. "Yeah. Take it easy on them." the runner added.

"I had it under control!" Donald insisted.

Dylan sighed. "How long do you expect to stay like this?"

Donald crossed his arms. "Until they admit that I was right."

"Donald, the ship was crashing. They were just shook up from the crash." Chase said with a shrug.

Donald shot a glare up at the teen. "Oh yeah? Then explain Jason's attitude before the crash!" he challenged.

The teen scratched the back of his head, trying to find an answer. "Well..."

"That's what I thought." Donald got back to work.

"Look, he may be stubborn, but you gotta work together." Dylan told the magician.

"Phooey on that." Donald spat as he checked the Gummi Ship for any more signs of damage.

"Look, why don't you talk to them once we get this thing fixed up?" Chase suggested. Donald glanced at him at that.

"I'm not saying you apologize. I'm just saying talk with them."

Goofy tried moving some of the dirt out of the way as Chase and Donald spoke. He hoped they would be able to talk some sense into his friend. Donald meant well, but his temper was usually hard to control.

Dylan went to help Goofy to try and get the nose of the ship dug out. "Think he'll listen?"

"I hope so." Goofy said.

Donald then slumped his shoulders. "Okay, I'll think about it." the court wizard conceded.

Chase smiled. "Awesome!"

"I hope I don't regret this." Donald muttered to himself, earning a shrug from Chase in reply. The duo then went to help Dylan and Goofy out.

As Goofy kept digging through the dirt, he paused as he heard the sound of leaves rustling. "Hm?"

Donald noticed his friend's expression. "What is it, Goofy?"

"Do you fellas hear that?' he questioned them. The other three paused and listened closely. They could hear more leaves rustling, and whatever was causing that sounded close.

They turned towards the bushes and saw it move a bit before something then leapt out of it, charging at them rather fast.

"Watch out!"


	20. Hidden Leaf Village

The four barely had any time to react as a blur charged at them. They all dove to the side, avoiding the creature.

Chase was the first to recover, scrambling back up to his feet. The creature appeared humanoid, but was a bit thin. It had a light gray and light purple color scheme and wore a white vest with pale purple trousers. It had bandages that were wrapped all the way up to its shoulders. It also had a light gray scarf wrapped around where its mouth should be. On its head was a symbol that both Donald and Goofy recognized.

"It's a Nobody!" Donald squawked as he hopped back up to his feet.

"Do you know what kind it is?" Dylan questioned as he pushed himself off the ground.

"I don't think so." Goofy responded as he held his shield in front of him.

The new type of Nobody slithered its way towards them quickly. Chase reacted first and darted out of the way just as the Nobody prepared to attack him. Donald got his staff ready. "Take this! Thunder!"

The lightning crackled as it zipped towards the Nobody, but it nimbly moved out of the way. Goofy charged in with his shield and prepared to ram into the creature, but he missed and nearly ran into a tree as it dodged.

Dylan drew his sword and tried to attack it as well. He sliced at it, but once again, the Nobody got out of the way without being hit.

As Dylan turned around, the creature attacked the teen, slamming itself into him and knocking him down. He grunted upon landing on the hard ground. The Nobody then moved on to attack Donald, who leapt back to avoid a swipe. The magician attempted to hit the monster with his staff, but failed and only ended up hitting thin air. The Nobody attacked again, but this time tried to land a hit on Goofy, who yelped and used his shield to block the blow.

"Somebody get it!" Goofy called as he tried to keep it distracted, while at the same time trying to push it back. Chase used his speed and darted to the Nobody, throwing a punch at it. To their surprise, he managed to land a blow on the creature and knock it off balance.

Chase's eyes widened for a moment before he cheered. "Yeah! How do ya like that?!"

In response, the creature turned around and attacked Chase, knocking him to the ground. Chase grunted upon the impact, feeling the sting of the hit. Goofy then spun around quickly like a tornado and managed to hit the Nobody a couple times. The pale creature then leapt up into the air over their heads and landed a few feet away from them. Suddenly, before any of them could do anything, some of the bandages on the Nobody's arms unraveled and zipped towards Donald.

Before the magician could react, the bandages wrapped around him, forcing his arms to his sides. Donald struggled to break free of the binds, but started to feel tired, weaker. "Let... go of me!" he strained.

Dylan tightened his grip on his sword before charging forward and slicing through the bandages. The bandages that were trapping Donald fell off and disintegrated, freeing him as he stumbled, feeling a bit exhausted.

"You okay?" Dylan asked him as Donald managed to pick his staff back up off the ground.

"I feel dizzy..." Donald groaned, rattling his head.

Dylan glanced back at the Nobody, who had the bandages that were attached to its arms retract and return to it. A lightbulb went off in his head as he realized what had happened to Donald. "Everyone, don't let it grab you with those bandages!" he warned.

"What? Why?" Chase questioned.

"Just make sure you don't get caught by it!" Dylan told his brother. The mysterious Nobody shot its wrappings towards Dylan, but the black haired teen quickly dove out of the way. Dylan dove out of the way, rolling on the ground before pushing himself back to his feet.

Chase zipped towards the gray and purple Nobody while its attention was on Dylan and threw another punch at it. The humanoid creature turned to him, but Chase punched it again before darting in a dark green and blue blur past it. The Nobody's bandages began to unravel again. Chase glanced behind him and noticed the tree behind him. An idea popped into his head just as the bandages were shot at him. Chase sped out of the path and instead of him getting caught, the bandages ended up wrapping around the tree trunk. Goofy then rammed his shield into the creature, sending it flying towards the tree.

"Yeah!" Chase whooped, pumping a fist in the air as the Nobody crashed into the trunk. "Take that!"

However, the Nobody freed itself and turned its attention to Chase while he was distracted giving a high five to Goofy. The bandages shot forward and wrapped around Chase, binding him. Chase's eyes widened. "Uh oh..."

Chase tried to run, but more bandages wrapped around his legs, forcing him to stay put. He began to feel a bit weak and his vision became blurry as he tried to break free. No matter how much he struggled, he still felt like he was becoming more and more exhausted.

"Hang on!" Dylan chopped through the wrappings, freeing his brother. Chase fell to his knees and panted as Dylan supported him.

"What... was that...?" Chase asked as Donald healed him, as well as himself, with Cure. Chase felt his strength return to him and his vision cleared after that.

"Whatever kind of this Nobody is, I think it can sap our energy if it catches us with those wrappings." Dylan explained to his brother, Donald, and Goofy.

"That's why you said not to let it touch us?" Chase questioned, earning a nod from Dylan. The Nobody snaked towards them, forcing the four to scatter as it tried to land a hit on them. Donald then shot a Blizzard spell at it while it was in one place, this time managing to hit it. This managed to freeze the Nobody in place for a few short moments, so Goofy slammed his shield into it as hard as he could, followed by Dylan slashing at it. Lightning crackled from the sword upon the blow, damaging it even more.

Cracks could be heard as the nimble Nobody broke out of the ice. It prepared to attack them, but Chase reacted first, speeding over and punching it, knocking the creature off balance. This seemed to aggravate the Nobody as it turned its attention to the runner again, looking ready to pounce on him.

Dylan used the chance now that the Nobody was distracted by Chase. He concentrated, remembering the magic spell lesson that Merlin had taught them. He just hoped that this would work.

The raven haired teen held his sword up in the air and yelled, "Magnet!"

A large orb appeared in the air, followed by a smaller red orb and blue orb circling around it. The Nobody was lifted by an invisible force off the ground and pulled towards the orb, resulting in It circling around the large orb. Dylsn slumped his shoulders, feeling a bit exhausted from that.

Now was their chance to attack it. As Donald shot a couple more spells at the monster, an idea popped into Chase's head. Maybe... maybe he could use a magic spell Merlin taught them. He focused as hard as he could, remembering the small training session they went through. He knew the last time he tried using a spell in battle, he zapped himself, but this time, he'd hit the enemy.

As he concentrated as hard as he could, he looked at the airborne Nobody, threw his hands out, yelling, "Thunder!"

Lightning shot out from his hands, zapping the Nobody. At that time, the Magnet spell wore off and the Nobody dropped to the ground, seeming to be on its last legs.

"BOOYA!" Chase whooped.

"Now, everybody!" Donald exclaimed before all four pounced on it. Goofy slammed into the fiend with his shield, sending it towards Donald, who took a deep breath before holding his staff high in the air. "THUNDARA!"

A powerful lightning bolt came down from the sky and struck the Nobody, dealing the final blow. The pale gray and purple being fell back, fading away into nothingness.

The four all breathed a sigh of relief when they realized the fight was over. "Whoa..." Dylan muttered as he wiped some sweat off his forehead. Donald casted Cure on each of them, restoring their stamina. He didn't expect fighting Nobodies to be this hard...

Chase was cheering in his head, happy that he managed to zap the enemy and not himself this time.

"Hey, fellas? You think there might be more of 'em out there?" Goofy questioned once they regained their breath. This caught their attention. Goofy was right. They were on a new world in the middle of a forest where they had no idea what could come at them at any moment.

"Maybe one of us should be a lookout?" Donald asked.

"I'll do it." Chase volunteered. "You guys work on getting the ship out."

They exchanged a nod before Dylan, Donald, and Goofy headed back to the Gummi Ship while Chase started pacing back and forth, looking around their surroundings. They wouldn't let anything catch them off guard this time.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora and the group followed Naruto, who had led them out of the forest and onto a large path.

"So, Naruto, how much further is your village?" Sora questioned.

Naruto glanced back at the brown haired teen. "It's just up ahead." he explained.

"If you're a ninja, then what exactly do you do?" Anne questioned.

The orange clad teen grinned. "Well, I take missions from the Hokage. Some of them are about escorting, some of them about retrieving or delivering... sometimes they're about protecting the village. But I'm working my way up to become the Hokage!" he declared.

This statement received blank looks from the group. "Uh... Ho-what now?" Lea questioned. This world was pretty strange...

"The Hokage. The leader of the village. Granny Tsunade is the current Hokage." Naruto explained. "The Hokage is someone the people look up to. They're someone who will protect their village. I wanna be the Hokage because I want to protect those close to me."

Jason seemed to listen to that.

"So, what exactly were you doing out in the woods, anyway?" Aurora questioned.

Naruto paused for a moment, then sighed. "I was out in a recon mission."

Riku looked at him at that. "Recon? Why's that?"

"You see, those things, the Heartless, they started showing up a couple days ago. Granny Tsunade had me head outside the village today to check and make sure there weren't any of them around, then report it back to her." Naruto told them. "Some people claimed to see a couple even pop up in the village."

This caught Sora's attention. "That's not good..."

People could be in trouble if there were really Heartless in Naruto's village. Who knew what else these Heartless could do?

Naruto glanced ahead, then smiled, gaining their attention. "We're here!"

The group of Keyblade wielders looked up and most of them nearly did a double take. In front of them were a large set of green gates that seemed to be at least forty feet high. A red kanji was painted on both of the doors. Above them was a silver frame that had kanji engraved on it, as well as the symbol of a leaf. They were both connected to a large red wall that seemed to be taller than the gates and appeared to stretch out to the sides for miles.

"Can anyone read this?" Anne asked, unsure what to make of the kanji on the gates.

Clair, Jason, and Aurora shook their heads. "What's up with the wall?" Jason questioned.

"It's to keep enemies out. This wall surrounds the entire village." Naruto explained to them casually. The team then saw the inside of the village. Anne's eyes widened as she saw many buildings that were in various sizes. Some were short, but some were at least several stories tall. Sora's jaw dropped at the sight. "Whoa..." Kairi gasped, summing up most of the group's thoughts.

"Gri's Beak..." Clair whispered as she saw the interior. Jason was a bit impressed seeing the place, but he tried not to show it. Aurora had the same reaction, but she did not show it, either.

"Welcome to the Hidden Leaf Village!" Naruto declared as he held his arms open, gesturing to it.

"You call that a village?! It's huge!" Anne exclaimed, voicing her shock. "It's more like a city!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, chuckling a little bit as he led them through the humongous gates. He looked to his left, so the others did as well and saw he was looking at two men sitting inside a sort of booth. One of them had dark brown hair mostly hidden underneath a blue bandana which had the same plate Naruto had on his headband. His bangs obscured his right eye while his hair framed the other side of his face.

The other man had wild, black hair. He had a single bandage that ran across the bridge of his nose and a dark mark on his chin. Both of the men wore a dark blue shirt underneath a dark green zip up vest with dark blue pants.

"Hey, Izumo, Kotetsu." Naruto greeted the two men with a wave.

"Hey, Naruto." one of them, Izumo, greeted with a friendly smile. "How was your mission?"

"Well, I ran into some of those things out there, then I helped these guys out when they were being attacked by them." Naruto explained. Izumo and Kotetsu glanced at the group of people behind Naruto, who tried to look casual.

"Who are they? I don't think I've seen them in the village before..." Kotetsu commented.

"That's cause they're new around here." Naruto explained. He decided to leave out the part where they fell out of the sky in some sort of ship and crashed it in the woods. "I helped them out when they were having a tough time fighting those monsters."

Sora glanced over at the two ninjas. "Have, uh, these things been seen around here recently?"

Izumo thought about it for a moment. "Hm... not at the entrance. But Lady Tsunade asked us to keep an eye on the gates and report any suspicious activity."

"Anyway, I gotta report to Granny. I think I'll show these guys around, too. See ya." Naruto waved goodbye before leading the group into the village.

As they walked, Sora took in the sights. Civilians walked past them going about their daily business, heading into stores or just going on a stroll. Some men and women wearing the same clothes that Izumo and Kotetsu wore were walking through the streets as well. Some of them seemed to be patrolling the area. This place almost reminded him of Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, and Agrabah.

Clair marveled at the architecture around them. There was nothing like this in Nekotan.

Anne gawked at their surroundings. If only Chase and Dylan were with them right now... they would have been impressed.

Aurora felt a little at ease here. At least she could catch a break from all this craziness for a moment.

As they treaded on, Sora noticed that some of the people, who he assumed were ninja, seemed a little tense as they were on lookout. Like they were expecting something to jump out of nowhere. "The Heartless must be really giving you guys a hard time." he said to Naruto, who gave a nod in response.

"Yeah. Since there are rumors of those things appearing in the village at random points, some of the ninja have been on watch for them." the orange teen confirmed. "If they've been spotted, then we have to report it to Granny so we can figure out what these things are up to."

He then paused walking before turning back to look at the group. "If you know about these Heartless guys, then maybe you should see Granny Tsunade."

Jason nodded in agreement, crossing his arms. "Yeah. If they're threatening the villagers, your leaders should know what they're dealing with."

"Especially since Keyblades are the only means to make sure the Heartless stay down and out." Anne added.

Sora nodded. "Where is this 'Granny'?"

Naruto pointed at a large, red building with a kanji near the top of it in the distance."You see that? That's the Hokage's office."

Anne whistled. "That's a big office."

"The ones in Netokan were bigger." Clair told her. She didn't say it to be mean, or to make her home seem important. She just simply said it.

"Follow me, guys." Naruto told them as he began to lead them through the streets again.

The building grew bigger the closer they got to it.

Sora craned his neck back to get a better look. It was surrounded by a wall, much smaller than the one surrounding the village, and it had orange shingles for the roof.

They passed through a set of gates before Naruto pushed a large set of doors open. Clair knocked on the doors to see what they were made of. "Nice."

She then realized she was falling behind the others. She jumped in surprise and quickly ran to catch up with them.

Naruto led them through several sets of halls and up a few stairways. The walls were a light tan and the floor was a dark green. A few portraits sat on the walls here and there.

Aurora took a glance at them as they passed by. "Who are these people?"

"Hm? Oh, those are some pictures of the past Hokage." Naruto explained to her as they reached a door. He knocked on it and waited for a moment.

"Come in." a woman called from inside the. Naruto entered and the group followed him inside.

The group glanced around, seeing that the room was an office with a tile floor and tan walls. A desk sat near the center of the office. Behind it were several windows that gave a fantastic view of the village.

A woman with brown eyes sat at the desk. She looked rather beautiful and had light blonde hair tied into a set of unbrsided pigtails that hung over her back. An odd feature about her was a purple diamond mark on the center of her forehead. She wore a green haori with a kanji on the back, a gray blouse held together by a dash, and bluish gray pants.

Lea smirked, resting a hand on his hip as he slicked his hair back. "Well, hello, who's this?"

"Hey, Granny!" Naruto greeted casually.

Everyone did a double take at that. " _Granny?!_ "

Lea's jaw dropped and he nearly fell back in shock.

Jason looked at Naruto. "Is this your idea of a joke? She looks nothing like a granny! Come on."

"Please forgive him." Clair quickly said to the woman. "Jason often speaks before he thinks."

"He would need a brain to think." Aurora added. Jason shot a glare at her for that.

The woman looked annoyed and shot a glare at Naruto. "Naruto, what have you been telling them?"

Naruto grinned cheekily. "Nothing, Granny."

"Actually, he's been referring to you as Granny the whole time." Anne spoke up, though she got a bad feeling from the look the woman was giving him.

Clair tried to change the subject. "So you're the leader of this village? You're Tsunade?"

"I am." the woman confirmed with a nod. The door behind them then opened and a woman with short black hair wearing a bluish black kimono with white trimmings stepped in carrying a stack of papers. Beside her trotted a little pig with a pearl necklace and a vest.

"Lady Tsunade, I gathered some paperwork." the woman said as she placed the stack on her desk.

Tsunade sighed with exasperation. "Really, Shizune?"

"Lady Tsunade, you know that as the Hokage, you have to fill out this paperwork." Shizune lightly scolded. "Besides, ninja have been filling out reports of the sightings."

Tsunade groaned quietly, then noticed the group. "Naruto, who are these people?"

"I ran into these guys while I was checking the area for those things. I ended up bumping into a few before meeting them."

"I'm Sora. This is Riku and Kairi, Lea, Jason, Aurora, Clair, and Anne." Sora greeted. Each of them gave a nod or a wave in response to their name. Lea was still a bit shocked that Tsunade was 'Granny'.

"They know about the creatures." Naruto finished.

Tsunade looked up at that, now alert and serious. "You do?" she questioned.

Riku nodded. "We do."

"Tell me everything."

"Well, for starters, those things that you were talking about, they're called Heartless. They're creatures of darkness that come from darkness and the darkness within people's hearts." Sora explained.

"Really takes inner demons to a whole new level." Anne attempted to joke, but no one cracked a smile.

"They basically attack anywhere and anyone." Riku added.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, clasping her hands in front of her mouth. "How is it you know of these things?"

"We've faced them several times before." Sora answered the Hokage. "Some of them are weak, but some of them are also powerful."

"How do you fight these Heartless?" Shizune inquired. Sora and Riku exchanged a look before nodding and calling forth their Keyblades. Kairi, Lea, Anne, Clair, Aurora, and Jason followed their examples a moment later.

Shizune's eyes widened as she saw the keyblades. Tsunade studied them intensely from where she sat.

"With weapons like these." Sora explained. "This is what most of us use to defeat the Heartless."

Sora didn't know about showing them it, but he felt that it was right due to Tsunade being the leader of a village.

"The keyblades also amplify magic to be just as effective against the Heartless." Clair added.

"Magic?" Shizune questioned.

Tsunade was silent for a moment, pondering over what she had just been told. Finally, she spoke. "Have you seen this yourself, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded immediately. "Yeah, I have."

"Then I see no reason to forbid you in joining the mission to rid the Leaf of those monsters." Tsunade said.

Shizune looked at the leader of the village. "Lady Tsunade, are you sure?"

Tsunade nodded. "I am."

"But... they're..."

"Most likely the only ones with the means to stop these monsters. I know the risks, Shizune, but I don't see any other option. Sometimes you just have to play the hand you're dealt."

"We'll take them down. Don't worry." Sora assured them as he dismissed Kingdom Key. "By the way, have you seen anything like this around the village?" Sora showed the Gummi Block to her.

Tsunade took it and looked it over. "Not that I can... why?"

That made the group pause for a moment. None of them were sure how to respond to that. "Uh..." Lea tried to find the words. Tsunade stared at them, waiting for an answer as she kept her hands clasped in front of her.

"It's sort of how we can find the Heartless." Clair said. It was only partly true, but not completely a lie.

"Oh?"

"We lost several pieces, and unless we can get them all back, we won't be able to continue to track the Heartless like we have in the past." Clair continued. "They'll find other places to attack, other people to hurt, and we won't be able to find them unless we have all the pieces."

"Hm..." The Hokage examined the block for a moment. Clair silently hoped that her story would help them out of this.

"We'll help you find these blocks if you help us rid the village of the Heartless." Tsunade consented as she handed the Gummi Block back to Sora.

The red, gray, and black clad teenager smiled. "Thanks! So, um... where have they been sighted?"

"According to the reports, they appear at random times in random spots." Tsunade informed him.

"Where?" Jason asked.

"Some say they appear in the streets, some say they appear in the park and training grounds... they're everywhere."

Jason looked at the woman. "Is there a map I can see?"

"Not exactly, but Naruto can help you with the layout. You WILL help them, won't you?" Tsunade asked as she gave Naruto a look.

He gasped, "Y-yeah, Grandma Tsunade!"

Jason liked how Tsunade asserted her authority. He could tell no one messed with her. Well, no one who was smart.

"Alright, come on, guys..." Naruto said quickly as he headed to the door. He then paused and looked back. "Hey, can I stop for Ichiraku ramen during-"

"Naruto!"

Naruto jumped before quickening his pace and hastily left the office with the group behind him. Once they were all out and the door had closed. Tsunade sighed, comprehending all the new information she had just heard.

"Do you think they can really get rid of these Heartless?" Shizune asked.

Tsunade stood up and walked over to the window, watching over the village. "I don't know. But we're running out of options."

"I don't think I've ever seen them in the village before..." Shizune observed.

The Hokage looked back at her assistant. "Neither have I, Shizune. And I'm sure that's because they're not from this village."

"Where do you think they're from, Lady Tsunade?"

"I don't know." Tsunade answered. "And the way that one talked about these blocks... I bet she's hiding something."

Shizune had a concerned look. "Do you think they have good intentions...? Can we trust them?"

Tsunade was silent for a moment again. "I don't know... We'll keep the Anbu watching them." Tsunade decided. "They'll report back to us. If they are dangerous... The Anbu will deal with it. I'll speak to that group later myself."

With that decision made, Tsunade walked back to her desk and groaned out loud when she saw the reports of the Heartless that needed to be viewed and filed. "You've gotta be kidding me..."

* * *

 **Thank you, DinoWriter23, for helping me out with this chapter.**


	21. On Patrol

The streets of the Hidden Leaf were a bit quieter than before as Naruto led the team through them. The citizens seemed a bit wary as they were walking. It appeared that the Heartless situation made them a bit cautious. This did not go unnoticed by the group.

"The villagers seem pretty scared, huh?" Lea asked

"If this keeps up, there probably won't be any civilians in the streets during the day." Naruto sighed.

Anne then looked up and noticed a small mountain near the Hokage's office that had faces carved into it, one of them being Tsunade's.

"Hey, what's that?" she questioned, pointing at the mountain.

Naruto paused, looking where she was pointing. "Oh, that's the Hokage Monument!"

The rest of the group drew their attention to the mountain as well. "Cool!" Sora remarked.

"Each time we get a new Hokage, their face is carved on the mountainside." Naruto explained. "That way, people will know that the Hokage will always watch over the village."

"Kind of hard to do when they're- Ow!" Jason had said 'ow' because as that moment, Clair elbowed him hard. Jason held his ribs as Clair gave him a look while Naruto didn't seem to pay attention. He then leapt up and ran up the wall of a building before jumping to another one, which surprised some members of the group.

Sora simply jumped up after him. "Wait up!" he called as caught up to the blonde on top of a low roof.

"Hey!" Jason called up. "In case you didn't know, some of us don't have wobolate skills!"

Anne looked at him with a confused expression. "Hobo-say-what?"

"Wobolate. It's a sport that involves extreme jumping." Clair explained as she looked at her. "You don't have that sport where you're from?"

Anne shook her head. "Uh-uh." she replied. Clair shrugged at that.

Naruto tried narrowing his eyes to get a better look as he scanned the area from where he was standing. "I don't see any!"

"We need to be sure." Jason called up to them.

"I know that!" Naruto retorted. Sora tried looking as well, but had no such luck. "They've gotta be around here somewhere..." Naruto said before leaping down.

"What were some of the other locations again?" Clair asked.

"Well, there were the streets..." Naruto shrugged as Sora leapt down from the roof. They then resumed walking down the road.

As they passed a flower shop, Clair stopped in her tracks. The others went on without noticing her, but she couldn't bring herself to look away. There was a bouquet of pink flowers with orange markings. They weren't quite the same as the ones that grew on Harthyn, but they strongly reminded her of the wildflowers from home. Thinking about them made her long for home, and her heart pained at the memories that came to her. How she wished that she could go home, see her parents, or at least let them know she was all right.

Her face fell as she thought of them. They must be worried out of their minds. The forces were probably looking for her, Jason, and Aurora. But what if time moved differently out here than it did on Harthyn? What if they got home only to find that years had gone by and their parents were dead?

She tried to push those worries out of her mind. But the more she tried to push them, the more they stayed. She just hoped that her parents were alright...

The strain of the worry caused tears to form in her eyes.

"Clair?"

She looked up and saw Kairi was looking back, having noticed she had stopped. "Are you okay?"

Clair shook her head. "No." she replied truthfully. Kairi walked over to her and a couple other members of the group noticed, stopping in their tracks.

"What's wrong?" Kairi inquired.

"It's just... it's my parents..." Clair leaned against the window. "I miss them. I can't help but worry if they're okay. Or wonder what they're thinking about right now."

"I'm sure that your parents are okay." Kairi tried to reassure the girl.

"What brought this on?" Jason asked.

Clair gestured to the flower in the glanced over at it. "Whoa. It does look similar to what grew on Harthyn." he commented.

"I think you're homesick." Kairi said. Clair looked down at that. "I know how you feel. There are times when I miss the islands. But I know that what we're doing is the right thing to do. Wouldn't your parents want you to do that?"

Clair nodded. The red-headed teen offered her a reassuring smile. "Then let that motivate you. Keep doing what they would want you to do, and in a way, you'll still be with them. That's what I've learned."

Clair thought about what she had said, then nodded again. Kairi smiled gently. "You ready?" she inquired, earning a nod from her.

They then resumed their recon through the village. They had caught up with the rest of the group. Naruto was looking ahead and smiled. "Hey, Sakura!"

They could see a teenage girl with short, pink hair up ahead turning around and looking at them. "Naruto! There you are!" She ran up to him. "Where have you been?"

"Patrolling the area for those things, just like Granny asked." Naruto explained, shrugging lightly. "Just got back, actually."

Sakura then noticed the group behind him. "Who are they?"

"Hm? Oh, I found them in the woods with those things attacking them. They looked like they were having trouble, so I helped them out." Naruto informed her. Sakura glanced over at them with an eyebrow raised.

Sora waved. "Hello." he greeted with a friendly smile.

"This is my teammate, Sakura." Naruto informed him with a smile.

"My name's Sora. This is Riku, Kairi, Lea, Jason, Clair, and Anne." Sora told the pink haired teen.

"Nice to meet you." Sakura nodded.

"Another ninja in not-so-incognito clothes." Jason muttered to his team.

Anne glared at him. "That probably is incognito here."

Sakura frowned a bit at what she heard Jason say, but shook her head. "Naruto, did you find any outside the vi!lage?"

"Yeah. Those things were kicking their butts, so I helped them out." the orange clad ninja grinned.

"He said the Heartless had been spotted around the village." Riku said. "We're looking into it."

The pink haired ninja rose an eyebrow. "Heartless? Is that what those creatures are called?"

Naruto nodded. "Granny said Sora and his friends could help us out."

"But first we need to see each location where the Heartless have been located." Riku added.

"This could take a while..." Lea noted as he crossed his arms.

"There!" Kairi suddebly gasped as she pointed up ahead.

Sora whirled around and saw the same kind of Heartless that had attacked them in the woods in the distance. "A Heartless!"

Naruto charged forward past the group with Sora hot on his heels. "What the... Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed as they passed her.

The Heartless noticed them before running down another street. Sora summoned his Keyblade and ran even faster. "Oh, no ya don't!"

The rest of the group was running after the two as they ran to catch the Heartless.

Jason then stopped. "Wait a minute."

"What are you doing? We have to go after that!" Anne told him as she skidded to a halt.

"Something doesn't seem right." Jason replied. "Why would a Heartless run away from us?"

Sora and Naruto caught up with the Heartless. "Caught ya!" Naruto declared triumphantly. However, a few more materialized around the two.

"It's a trap!" Sora exclaimed.

One lunged at the two, but Sora blocked the blow. "We can still take them!" he declared, just as more showed up.

Jason glared at him as they reached Sora and Naruto. "Way to jinx it."

Once they had caught up to them, they drew their weapons. The Heartless surrounding them attacked first. Anne got hit by one, staggering back from it. She managed to duck down when it swung at her again and retaliated with a swing from her Keyblade, landing a blow on it.

One leapt at Clair, but she managed to avoid the swipe. She then concentrated and fired a Plasma Bolt at Heartless was knocked back by the attack. Another one charged towards Naruto.

The ninja put some of his fingers together. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, two clones of himself appeared, taking some of the group by surprise. Anne noticed the way his fingers had been put together had made some sort of sign or symbol, but she didn't know what it meant.

Sora recognized it as the move he had used in the forest.

"Gri's Beak!" Clair gasped, still surprised by the orange-wearing ninja's ability.

"What the-" Jason began.

Naruto and his clones charged forward. "Bring it!" the three yelled in unison at the Heartless.

The three of them began to attack the ninja-like Heartless with punches.

Sora snapped out of his awe and attacked a nearby Heartless, which vanished as the heart was released.

Riku then leapt up and brought his Keyblade down on a nearby Heartless, dealing some damage to it. Kairi dodged a swipe from another one of the ninja-like Heartless, then blocked a blow with Destiny's Embrace.

She remembered her training she did during her stay at the Mysterious Tower and prepared some magic, jumping back before concentrating, thinking about what Master Yen Sid had told her during her training.

"Light!" she yelled as she pointed her Keyblade up at the sky. A pillar of light appeared and hit one of the Heartless, destroying it.

"Wow! Nice one, Kairi!" Sora praised with a grin. Riku nodded in agreement before ducking down from a swing the creature of darkness threw at him. Anne clutched the grip of her Keyblade with both hands and brought it down on one of the ninja-like Heartless, dealing a bit of damage. The creature retaliated with a swing of its own, knocking Anne off balance for a moment. She managed to recover from it and prepared to attack again.

"Fire!" she exclaimed as a fireball shot out from the tip of her Keyblade.

The fireball managed to hit the ninja-like Heartless and finished it off.

Lea leapt back to avoid another swipe from the dark creature, then slammed his Keyblade into it. "Feel the burn!" the pyro declared as he finished the Heartless off with a fireball.

Nearby, Aurora managed to freeze one with Blizzard, allowing her to attack it several times. Before she could deal the final blow, Jason beat her to it as he slammed his own Keyblade into it. The ice shattered and the Heartless faded into darkness as another heart floated away from where the Heartless once was.

Naruto and his clones charged at another one before he slid on the ground and kicked it up into the air. One by one, his clones joined in on the kicking, kicking the Heartless higher, each of them exclaiming, "Na! Ru! To!"

The real Naruto used one of his clones as a springboard and jumped up to the Heartless, preparing to kick it.

"Uzumaki Barrage!" the blonde roared before slamming his foot down on it, sending the ninja-like monster straight to the ground. Jason's jaw dropped low upon seeing this happen. Aurora seemed to be slightly impressed, but she masked it with a scoff.

Sora moved to the side and attacked a Heartless from behind, managing to destroy it and release the heart. Clair slashed at one as well, catching it off guard. The Heartless staggered backwards from the blow as Clair cast a Thunder spell, zapping it and releasing the heart. The creature faded away in wisps of darkness as Riku made a count of how many were remaining. He could see that there were two more left.

The last two Rogue Ninjas, as Sora decided to dub them, charged towards the group. Jason nearly got knocked over by one of them. The teen growled before attacking it with a swing of his Keyblade, hitting it in the side. The Rogue Ninja was knocked off balance, but avoided another swing from the weapon and landed a hit on Jason. He grunted from the attack, but retaliated and finished it off, releasing the heart.

Kairi leapt back as the last Rogue Ninja tried to ram into her. The Heartless then attempted to kick her, but its foot met her Keyblade as she blocked it. The red-headed girl then spun around, hitting the Rogue Ninja and forcing it back. She then zapped it with a Thunder spell, destroying the last Heartless in the area.

Sora sighed once the area was cleared and dismissed his Keyblade. Riku casted Cure on those injured during the battle as Naruto's clones vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Hey, Naruto?" Sora questioned.

Naruto dusted off his jacket. "Yeah?"

"What was that move you used back there?"

"Oh, that was-"

"YOU IDIOT!"

"Huh?"

Before Sora or anybody else could react, a fist shot out and slammed straight into Naruto's face, sending him flying back at least fifteen feet with him tumbling upon landing on the dirt road.

The group yelled in surprise and were flabbergasted to see that the fist had belonged to Sakura, who had an annoyed and angry expression. She stormed past them and towards Naruto as he landed on his back, groaning as he held his bruised face. Anne had hidden behind Lea at this point, comically shaking, obviously unnerved by the punch. Lea ignored her, but couldn't believe the sight he had just seen, making a mental note not to get her angry. Clair could only stare with a dropped jaw as Riku, Kairi, and Sora took a couple steps back, just in case. Jason was shocked, but secretly impressed by her punch. Aurora, however, simply stared, shaking her head.

Naruto winced as he sat up. "What was that for?!"

"What in the world were you thinking?! How could you be so reckless, rushing in like that?!" Sakura scolded, placing her hands on her hips.

"B-But the Heartless appeared-" Naruto protested, but Sakura cut him off.

"We don't know what else these things can do! You could have been seriously injured!"

"I wasn't! See?" Naruto told her as he stumbled upon to his feet, ignoring his throbbing cheek.

"And you!" Sakura whirled around to face the group, which caused a couple of them to jump. "You shouldn't have rushed in like that either!"

"To be fair, we didn't know that the Heartless would ambush us... Naruto didn't, either." Sora spoke up, hoping not to anger Sakura any further.

The pinkette crossed her arms as she frowned. "Then maybe next time when you face those things, make sure you don't fall into a trap." she told him. She then sighed as she shook her head. "I have to go back on patrol. You guys get back to taking those things down."

She prepared to leave, but then Naruto said, "Hey, Sakura...? Sorry for worrying you."

Sakura paused in mid-step, then let out a sigh as she glanced back at the knucklehead ninja. "It's alright... Just be more careful next time, okay?"

With that, she walked away from the group with none of them daring to say a word as she passed by, leaving them in silence.

After a moment, Lea finally spoke up, commenting, "She's kind of scary when she's angry..."

"You have _no_ idea." Naruto told the pyro as he dusted himself off. "Trust me, she can sure pack a punch."

Anne had stepped out from behind Lea now that Sakura was gone. "I can tell..." she muttered. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something glint on the dirt road. As the group began to converse with one another, she walked over to it, knelt down, and picked it up in order to get a closer look. "Hey, guys?"

Some of the group turned to her at her call. "What is it, Anne?" Clair inquired.

The brown haired girl walked back to them and held out her gloved hand, showing them the item she had found. "I think that one of those Heartless dropped this..."

The group could now get a better look at what it was. It was orange in color and about the size of a rock.

"Hey, that's a Gummi block!" Sora recognized.

"Didn't you say you guys needed those?" Naruto questioned, earning a nod from Riku. The silver haired teen then began to ponder. Maybe more of these kinds of Heartless were carrying Gummi blocks as well?

He then turned to look at his teammates. "Guys, if one of them dropped a Gummi block, then maybe we should keep an eye out for more." he suggested.

Sora nodded in agreement. "Good plan, Riku."

"Let's go." Naruto announced before resuming to lead them throughout the village. However, none of them had noticed a mysterious, cloaked figure watching from the rooftops...

* * *

"... so, Naruto? What exactly was that move you used back there?" Sora questioned as they walked down a set of stairs that led to a park.

"Oh, that? That was the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It's a technique I use when fighting. It lets me make shadow clones of myself to help me in battle." Naruto explained to the Keyblade wielder with a smile. "And with my clones, I can use sweet Jutsus like Uzumaki Barrage."

"Sounds very useful." Kairi remarked.

"But what exactly is a 'jutsu'?" Clair questioned. Naruto had an incredulous look.

"You seriously don't know?" he asked. Clair shook her head. "Well, justus are techniques ninjas use in battle by using their chakra. They have to weave hand signs to make it work."

Clair and Anne became interested upon hearing the explanation. "So that's what those weird motions you made with your hands were?" Anne inquired, earning a nod of confirmation from the blonde.

Jason, however, didn't appear to be listening.

"Hey, Naruto!" a voice called out, gaining the attention of some of the Keyblade wielders. A teenage boy that looked to be Naruto's age was walking towards them. He had messy brown hair and red, fang like facial markings. He wore a type of zipped up black leather jacket over a mesh shirt with black pants and sandals. Like Naruto, he also had a headband tied around his forehead.

"Hey, Kiba, what's up?" Naruto greeted as he approached them.

The black clad teen shrugged. "I'm kind of patrolling the place with Akamaru. We've been given orders to make sure no more of those freaky things show up."

He then saw the team standing behind Naruto. "Who are those guys?"

"This is Sora and his friends Riku, Kairi, Lea, Anne, Jason, Aurora, and Clair. They're helping us out with those monsters that keep popping up." Naruto then glanced back at the group. "Everyone, this guy's Kiba Inuzuka."

It was then the Keyblade wielders noticed the huge, white dog with brown patches on its ears standing next to Kiba.

"That's one big dog..." Kairi commented.

Kiba smirked. "This is Akamaru. He and I fight battles together." he said proudly as he scratched Akamaru behind the ears. Anne stared at the dog for a moment, reminded of her own dog, Boomer. She cracked a smile at that, but it fell upon remembering that she didn't know if he or her parents were okay.

She was then snapped out of it by Akamaru trotting around the group sniffing them. "Uh... hi?"

Akamaru barked a couple times, causing Kiba to raise an eyebrow. "They're not from around here?"

Sora tilted his head in confusion. "Huh...? He understood that?"

"Kiba is the only one who understands what that mutt is saying." Naruto answered. "I think it's cause he's from the Inuzuka clan..."

Just then, Akamaru's ears perked up before he trotted a few feet forward sniffing the ground. Suddenly, he stopped as the fur on the back of his neck bristled up as he crouched down, growling.

"What's wrong, Akamaru?" Kiba questioned his dog. This drew the attention of the group as they looked in the direction that the dog was looking at.

Before anyone could ask anything else, wisps of gray and black appeared and to their surprise, a pair of light purple and gray humanoid beings materialized. They both donned scarves that covered their mouths, white vests, and purple trousers. On their heads was a symbol that Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Lea easily recognized.

"Nobodies!" they gasped. Some of the newer members of the team took a step back upon seeing them. Naruto and Kiba, however, were confused hearing the term.

"Wait, those aren't Heartless?" Naruto asked.

Kiba frowned. "What, now? Heartless? Nobodies? What are you talking about?"

Riku summoned Way to Dawn. "Save the questions for later. We've got company."

Those who had a Keyblade called it forth and prepared for battle as Naruto got ready.

The Inuzuka shook his head before joining them with Akamaru at his side. "Alright, someone better tell me what's going on here!" he demanded before the Nobodies charged towards them.

Sora reacted first and casted Reflect, causing one that was about to attack him to bounce off a barrier. It slithered away as its fellow Nobody zipped towards Jason.

"Bring it, you dumb-" Jason swung his Keyblade at it, only to miss as the Nobody avoided it. He was then knocked down by the pale creature, but got back to his feet quickly. Naruto zoomed towards the other one as it prepared to attack, only for him to flip out of the way as the bandages on its arms unravelled and lunged forward, attempting to latch onto him.

"What kind are these?!" Clair asked, barely avoiding a swipe from one of them.

"I don't know! These are a kind I haven't seen before!" Lea answered. Clair focused and casted Fire, knocking back one of the Nobodies. Akamaru crouched down before ramming into a Nobody, sinking his teeth into one of its arms. The Nobody attempted to get loose as the ninja hound shook his head and tossed it to the side after releasing it. Kiba charged forward and slammed his foot into its face, knocking it back.

"Nice, Akamaru!" he praised his dog, who wagged his tail in response.

Aurora frowned as the other charged towards her. She threw up her Keyblade and blocked one of its kicks. She then slashed at it, landing a blow, then slammed her Keyblade down on it again. Sora dodge-rolled to avoid a swipe from one of the Nobodies and got back to his feet quickly. He gripped Kingdom Key tightly before focusing his energy, shouting, "Blizzard!"

The spell shot forward and encased the Nobody within a block of ice. With the Nobody frozen in place, Sora charged forward and attacked, hitting it with his Keyblade with the chance he was given. Naruto threw a set of sharp, star-like objects at it just as the creature broke free. It ended up getting hit by the sharp weapons and staggered back from the surprise blow.

Lea then summoned a fireball and shot it at the other Nobody as it zipped towards his direction. It recoiled from the intense heat and slithered away from him.

Anne placed the palm of her hand on the flat part of her Keyblade to help block an attack from one of the dark creatures. She dug her feet into the ground to keep from being knocked back by the force of the attack and pushed it back, causing it to lose its balance. Anne used this to her advantage and slammed her Keyblade into the monster, landing a bit of damage on it.

Suddenly, the bandages on its arms unravelled and shot forward. Anne's eyes widened in surprise before she quickly dove to the side with the wrappings just barely missing her. She rolled on the ground before getting back on her feet. Kairi ran at it while the Nobody was distracted and slammed her Keyblade into its side, knocking it off balance. "Anne!"

Anne nodded before she quickly charged at it, slashing at it a couple times. Then she held up her Keyblade and concentrated. "Thunder!"

Lightning bolts came down, crackling as they hit the purple and gray Nobody. Kairi shot a fireball from the tip of her Keyblade, which made the Nobody catch aflame. Anne and Kairi high-fived each other as the creature stumbled back. "Alright!"

"Let's go, Akamaru!" Kiba called to his dog, who ran to his side, barking in agreement. A puff of smoke surrounded the large dog and when the smoke vanished, a copy of Kiba stood in his place. Jason did a double take upon seeing it. Kiba crouched down before charging at one with Akamaru. Together, the duo leapt up into the air and began spinning rapidly until they both looked like tornadoes.

"Fang over Fang!" Kiba roared as they landed several hits on it. The Nobody was left barely standing afterwards.

Jason couldn't believe it. Dogs that could turn into people? What next?

He snapped out of it just in time to see bandages coming towards him. Before he could duck, they wrapped around his body, forcing his arms to his sides. "Gah!"

He struggled to break free from them, but the bandages were rather strong and tight. However, he slowly felt his strength leaving him as he began to feel weaker. His knees felt ready to give out as his vision started to blur. "Let... me... go..." he growled, trying to escape from the bindings, only to fall to his knees as his energy was being sapped.

Riku's eyes widened upon realizing what the Nobody was doing and leapt forward, chopping through the bandages to free Jason. The teen nearly fell on the ground, panting as he tried to catch his breath while the bandages vanished.

"Heal!" Riku called, casting Cure on Jason to help him. Clair rushed to help her cousin up to his feet.

"I-I'm good..." Jason muttered, holding his hand up and getting up on his own. Riku looked towards the Nobody, which recoiled from the bandages being chopped off.

"That Nobody... it drains your energy if it catches you..." he realized, then got his Keyblade ready again. "Guys! Don't let it catch you with the bandages!"

"Gotcha!" Lea called as he managed to avoid the bandages of one of the Nobodies. The pyro then smirked. "Say, Drainers sounds like a good name for these things, huh?"

"Not the time!" Riku replied before charging at one of the newly dubbed 'Drainers'. He flipped into the air before bringing down his Keyblade on the Drainer. He then shot a Dark Firaga at it, which dealt quite a bit of damage. He then finished it off with a blow from his Keyblade. The Nobody collasped and faded into nothingness, leaving only one left.

The last Drainer slithered towards Sora, who reacted quickly and blocked a blow from it, then shoved it back. As the Drainer was knocked balance, Sora whacked it a couple times with his Keyblade. Naruto joined the spiky haired teen and launched a flurry of kicks. Sora leapt backwards and threw his Keyblade, which twirled in the air as it slammed into the Drainer, then reappeared in Sora's hand a moment later.

Naruto kicked the Drainer on the head one more time before flipping backwards.

Anne charged at it from the side and brought her Keyblade down on it twice. She ducked down to avoid a swing from its arms, then casted Fire, burning it. The Drainer looked to be on its last legs from the damage it took. As it slithered away to try and avoid them, Kairi charged towards it and slashed at it one final time, which destroyed it.

The creature of nothingness vanished upon being defeated. Akamaru turned back to normal as those who were hurt in the fight were healed. Kiba then approached the group. "Okay, mind telling me what that was back there?"

"Those things, they're called Nobodies, creatures made from what's left of those who have lost their heart. And the other monsters that have been showing up are Heartless, creatures of darkness made from the darkness in people's hearts." Sora explained.

"Did you guys face these things before?" Kiba asked, crossing his arms. All this information was confusing to him...

"Yeah, just not this kind before." Riku replied. "But if more of these keep showing up, then its best you be on your guard."

Kiba nodded, then reached into his pocket. "Earlier, I found this weird thing after fighting those, uh, Heartless. Didn't know what to do with it."

He pulled out a small object and tossed it to Riku, who caught it in his hand. It was revealed to be a Gummi block. "Thanks. We need this." he nodded, pocketing the piece.

Kiba shrugged. "Anyway, Akamaru and I need to get back to patrolling."

"You be careful. These things are tougher than they look. Tell the others to watch out for them." Naruto advised, earning a nod from the Inuzuka before he and his ninja hound ran off. Naruto then turned back to the group, who had managed to recover. "Okay, so now we got things called Nobodies here?"

"I'm just as surprised as you are." Sora replied. "Have you seen any like that around here?"

Naruto paused, trying to remember if he did or not. "Hm... I don't think so... maybe one outside the village..."

"Then we definitely need to keep an eye out for them." Riku said. Looks like the situation in the village had gotten worse...

"We better get a move on. More of them are bound to be around." Lea told them, earning nods of agreement. Naruto then led the group through the park, each of them keeping an eye out for any sign of danger.

Unknown to them, the same cloaked figure from before was hiding in a tree, observing them as they left the area. The person smirked under their hood.

"Well, lookie here. The Keyblade wielders are back in action. The newbies aren't too shabby." they remarked in a casual, male voice. Then, he chuckled to himself. "This'll be good... bet they'll be surprised to see me..."


	22. Against the Tide

Meanwhile in the forest, Dylan was keeping an eye out for any signs of danger now that Chase's turn was over.

Chase, Donald, and Goofy, however, were trying to get the Gummi Ship dug out, but they were only half successful. A lot of soil had been dug up to get it partially out of the spot. They also had found some spare Gummi Blocks lying around the crash site, so they were able to repair the hull a bit. But they still needed more.

"Do ya think that they're okay out there?" Goofy questioned as he carried a piece that had fallen off the ship.

Chase shrugged. "I think so. So, Donald, you still gonna talk to them?"

Donald paused for a moment, then let out a sigh. He was reluctant, but answered, "Yeah... I'll try."

Dylan paced back and forth as he kept an eye on the treeline. It had been a while since Sora and the rest had left to find Gummi Blocks. He was starting to wonder if anything had happened to them. "Shouldn't they be back by now?" he inquired.

"They should be, but findin' Gummi Blocks can take a while." Goofy responded as he and Chase worked together to secure a piece back into place.

"You think they know that there's Nobodies around?" Dylan asked.

"Probably." Donald replied as he walked by with a few Gummi Blocks in his hands. "But they should be able to handle them."

The raven haired teen was silent for a moment. "... should we go after them?"

"Nah. We need to fix the ship." Donald insisted, helping Chase and Goofy out as they used the Gummi Blocks to repair the part. Once it had been secured, Chase turned to his brother.

"Relax, Dyl. They'll be back soon." he tried to reassure his brother. "Besides, by the time they get back, this baby'll be fixed up before they know it!"

He gave the Gummi Ship a couple pats and began to walk away from it. However, as soon as he did, the part of the ship they had just fixed fell right off.

"... aw, come on!" he groaned as Dylan just sighed and hung his head.

* * *

Tsunade sighed with relief once she had finished the last stack of paperwork on her desk. "There..."

Shizune stood by the desk with the pig, Tonton, in her arms.

Just then, a figure appeared in a puff of smoke. They wore a sleeveless black shirt underneath a gray type of flak jacket with black pants. Their face was hidden by an eagle like mask. They knelt down to the ground and placed their fist on the ground. "Lady Hokage."

"You may stand." she told them. The masked man nodded and stood up.

"Lady Hokage, Anbu members have been keeping an eye on them, just like you ordered. But we have discovered that there is another type of monster in the village. The ones with the Keyblades have been able to fight this creature." he reported.

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. "Another monster?"

"From what we have heard them say, it's a being called a Nobody."

"Nobody?" Shizune asked. Even Tonton oinked with confusion.

"The newcomers said that they are what is left of those who lost their hearts to darkness. From what we've observed, these Nobodies can drain energy if they catch you."

Tsunade had a look of deep thought upon hearing this new information. "... keep an eye out for more of these things. Be sure to take them down if you come across them."

"Yes, ma'am." the Anbu member nodded before vanishing in a puff of smoke, leaving the two women alone in the office.

* * *

Back with Sora and the others, the group stuck close as they walked down a dirt road with wooden fences on the sides. Each of them were keeping an eye out for any signs of Heartless or Nobodies.

During the time they were walking, they had come across several Heartless, some of which had dropped Gummi blocks, which the group made sure to pick up.

"Should the Hokage know about this? The Nobodies?" Anne spoke up as they walked around a corner.

"Definitely." Naruto nodded. "I mean, we've got monsters that keep showing up, and now we got even more. Man, Granny's gonna have a lotta paperwork to do."

"Why do you keep calling her that? She's the leader, right?" Clair asked.

Naruto smirked. "I'm the only one who she lets call her that." he explained.

Sora smiled at that comment, but then it slowly fell as he noticed that up ahead, someone was surrounded by Shadows. His eyes widened before calling Kingdom Key to his hand. "Watch out!" he called, drawing the others' attention to the Heartless up ahead. Together, they ran towards the person. Sora slashed through a Shadow as Naruto leapt over one and landed by the person.

"Hang on!" he told them before grabbing them and leaping away from the Heartless to get the civilian to safety. Once he landed back on the ground, he set the civilian down. "Go! Run!"

The man's eyes widened before he nodded and scrambled away from the area.

Kairi shot a Light spell at one Heartless, dissolving it. A Shadow slunk into the ground and slithered towards Anne. She jumped back as it rose up. Anne then gripped her Keyblade with both hands before bringing it down on the Shadow before it could attack. The Heartless fell to the ground and vanished back into darkness.

Jason rammed his Keyblade into a nearby Shadow, destroying it. Naruto flipped over another before throwing a kick at it, which dodged it by slinking into the ground. However, Lea caught it and destroyed it with a fireball. Another Shadow tried to attack Naruto, but he reacted quickly and slammed his foot into it, knocking it back. Sora finished it off by slashing through it.

"Nice one!" Naruto praised.

Just when it seemed they were done, Rogue Ninjas had materialized.

"Aw, great." Lea sighed before he got ready. One of the Rogue Ninjas rushed in to attack, only to be attacked first by Riku. He launched himself off the wall with Flowmotion and used a drill attack, spinning as he hit the Rogue Ninja, damaging it quite a bit as it was knocked backwards. As soon as his feet touched the ground again, the Keyblade Master zipped towards the Heartless and finished it off by slashing through it. A heart rose up into the sky as the Heartless vanished.

On the ground, Riku noticed another Gummi Block in the place of where the Heartless was, so he quickly pocketed it.

Naruto got into a duel with one of the Rogue Ninjas. "Bring it on!" he challenged.

It tried to kick him, but Naruto managed to block the kick and retaliated with a swing from his arm, actually punching the Heartless back. Naruto then weaved a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A clone of himself poofed into existence. Naruto then held his hand out to the clone and the clone began to spin his hands around Naruto's. An orb of blue, swirling energy soon formed in it. The shadow clone then vanished in a puff of smoke before charging at the Rogue Ninja.

"Rasengan!" he roared before slamming the orb into the Heartless, finishing it off. Some of the group was surprised by the attack, but quickly snapped out of it.

Sora dodged a swipe from a Rogue Ninja before retaliating by ramming his Keyblade into the ninja-like Heartless. The Rogue Ninja skidded backwards from the blow, but regained its footing and charged back at the teen. Sora blocked an attack from the Rogue Ninja's clawed hand.

"Thunder!" he called, holding his Keyblade up and casting the spell. Lightning shot down and hit the Heartless, killing it as yet another heart rose up into the air. Sora noticed another Gummi Block on the ground where the Heartless once stood and quickly snatched it up.

Now, it was down to just one Shadow and one Rogue Ninja. The Shadow slithered behind Clair, who managed to catch it in time and slashed through the Heartless, making it vanish back into darkness. Kairi shot an orb of light at the Rogue Ninja, which dealt quite a bit of damage to it. She then gripped her Keyblade with both hands and pointed it at the Heartless. "Fire!"

A fireball shot from the tip of her Keyblade and hit the Rogue Ninja before it could dodge, causing it to catch aflame. It ran around trying to put itself out, only to be destroyed by Jason as he brought his Keyblade down on it, releasing the heart.

Jason then picked up the Gummi Block left behind by it.

"We better get moving. There's bound to be more around here." Riku told the group before they all jogged down the dirt path.

As they did, they noticed that the streets were completely empty now. All the civilians must have fled inside when more of the Heartless had showed up. But when they ran for about three blocks, they came across a boy that was Naruto's age. He had dark brown hair that was tied up in a spiky ponytail and wore a longsleeved black shirt underneath a green flak jacket with black pants. There was a white cloth wrapped around his ankles and sewn on his sleeve was a metal plate with the Leaf symbol. He was currently facing off against Shadows.

"Hey! Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed as he jogged to him with the others following shortly behind.

Shikamaru kept his gaze on the Heartless. "It's those things again."

"Heartless." Sora informed him without missing a beat.

"New friends of yours?" Shikamaru asked Naruto.

"Yep. They know how to take these things down." Naruto replied as he got ready to fight.

"My Shadow Possession Jutsu won't even work on these things." Shikamaru said with a frown. "What a drag..."

"We got this!" Sora told him as he summoned his Keyblade again and charged forward. He slammed his Keyblade down twice on the closest Shadow before finishing it off by slashing through it.

One slithered towards Naruto and when it leapt out of the ground to attack, it was met with a foot to the face. It flew back towards Shikamaru, who brought his leg down on it, slamming it into the ground. Riku then finished it off by stabbing it with his Keyblade.

Jason attacked one of the Shadows before it could even attack, destroying it.

Another tried to scratch Anne with its claws, but she managed to avoid it and retaliated by slashing at it. It counterattacked by slinking into the ground and sliding underneath her before swiping at her from behind. Anne yelled as she got hit, then turned around and pointed her Keyblade at it. "Fire!"

The fireball hit the Shadow and dealt quite a bit of damage before it dissolved into darkness.

The final one attempted to attack Sora, only to be swiftly dealt with with a slash from Kingdom Key.

Sora then let out a sigh as he relaxed seeing they had defeated the Heartless. However, this moment was short lived as a pair of Drainers suddenly materialized in wisps of black and gray.

"Not those things again..." Jason grumbled. Aurora just shook her head, growing more annoyed.

"Shikamaru, watch out for these things. If they catch you with those bandages around their arms, they can drain your energy!" Naruto warned his old classmate.

Shikamaru just sighed out, "What a drag..."

The Drainers slithered towards them to attack. Quickly, they leapt out of the way, avoiding the bandages as they zipped out. Shikamaru tossed a type of knife at one of them, pinning them to the ground. He then whirled around and kicked it in the head, forcing it up into the air.

Riku sped forward with Way to Dawn in hand and slammed it into the Nobody twice before giving a powerful blow that sent it straight back into the ground. The Drainer attempted to get back up, only for Riku to plunge his Keyblade into the creature of nothingness, destroying it.

The other Drainer attempted to attack Naruto and Sora, who exchanged a look before Naruto weaved a hand sign, shouting, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two shadow clones of himself appeared in a puff of smoke and together, Sora charged at the Drainer with Naruto and his shadow clones. The clones ran to the sides and attacked the Drainer on both sides, slamming their fists into what was supposed to be its face, knocking it backwards. The real Naruto sped towards it and slammed his foot into its head, sending it flying up into the air.

Sora then used Naruto's back as a launchpad and leapt towards the Drainer with his Keyblade ready. He held it with both hands before diving towards it with Flowmotion and drilling into the Drainer. The Nobody recoiled upon the hit and fell to its knees. Sora landed on the ground and charged towards it, delivering a final blow to the Drainer with a slash from his Keyblade.

The Drainer fell as it vanished away into nothingness, leaving the group alone in the streets.

Shikamaru sighed before glancing over at them. "Naruto, these people with you?"

The orange and black clad teenager nodded in confirmation. "Guys, this is Shikamaru Nara. I used to go to the Ninja Academy with him like the others."

Sora held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Shikamaru shook his hand. "Likewise..." he muttered. "You know what those things were?"

"Yeah. The ones that attacked you earlier are called Heartless, which are beings of darkness. And the ones we just fought were Nobodies. They're what's left over if one is lost to darkness." Sora summarized.

"These guys have been helping with taking these things down. The weapons they have really help." Naruto added.

"Well, they worked better than my Shadow Possession did." Shikamaru said as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Shadow Possession?" Anne asked, raising a confused eyebrow.

"The Shadow Possession Jutsu. It's a technique only my clan can use." Shikamaru explained to them with a lazy expression.

"What does it do?" Jason asked as he crossed his arms.

Shikamaru weaved a single hand sign before uttering, "Shadow Possession Jutsu."

A thin line stretched from Shikamaru's own shadow to Jason's, attaching itself to it. Jason felt himself go stiff almost immediately. Shikamaru then stood casually and held his arm out. At the same time, Jason mimicked his actions, though not on his own free will.

"I... can't stop myself..." Jason strained as he tried to get control of his body back, but found himself unable to move on his own.

"Whoa..." Sora, Anne, and Kairi said in unison, surprised by the technique. Riku rose an eyebrow at the sight. This person could manipulate his own shadow and take control of other's?

Shikamaru then shoved his hands in his pockets and walked over to them with Jason moving at the same time. "The Shadow Possession allows my own shadow to grab someone else's and that person can't move unless I do. When I use it, I can have them do whatever I'm doing or hold them in place. It's quite useful in combat, but apparently not against those creatures."

"Would you let me go, already?!" Jason asked. Sighing, Shikamaru released the Jutsu and his shadow detached from Jason's, giving him control of his body back. Jason sighed with relief once he could move on his own again.

"Does Lady Tsunade know about the Nobodies?" Shikamaru questioned.

"I have no idea." Naruto replied. "Someone might have told her by now."

"I'd better check." Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag..."

He started to walk away, but then paused. "Oh yeah, hold on." he muttered before reaching into his pocket and tossed a couple Gummi Blocks to them. "I found these earlier. I have no idea what they do, but maybe you guys can make some use of them."

Sora caught them in his hand. "Hey, thanks!"

Shikamaru merely gave a lazy salute before leaving the group. Sora looked down at the Gummi Blocks, then back at the group. "How much do we have?"

Everyone held out the Gummi Blocks they had managed to find during their trek throughout the Hidden Leaf. "I'd say we got almost enough. We're getting there." Riku commented before pocketing the ones he had.

"I'm guessing that's a good thing?" Naruto questioned, earning a nod from the teen.

* * *

Unknown to the group, a masked member of the ANBU had been watching from the shadows, overhearing everything that had been told about the Nobodies.

"Interesting..." he muttered to himself. He made a mental note to inform the Hokage about this in case no one else on the ANBU had found out yet.

"I know, right?" a new voice suddenly said out of nowhere behind him. The ANBU member jumped in surprise and whirled around, only to be knocked out by a blow to the head.

* * *

The group had since then resumed their little journey throughout the Hidden Leaf village.

As another Rogue Ninja had materialized in front of them, Sora swiftly summoned his Keyblade. The Heartless charged forward, swiping at Sora with its claws. The spiky haired teen dove to the side to avoid it.

Anne summoned her Keyblade as well and charged at the Heartless, taking a swing at it. The gray and black Keyblade slammed into the Rogue Ninja, throwing it off balance. "Sora! It's open!" she called to the red, gray, and black clad teen.

Sora raced towards the ninja-like Heartless before jumping up and launching a Strike Raid attack, hitting the creature of darkness multiple times. The Rogue Ninja, in a last-ditch attempt, swung its leg at the two, doing a spin kick. Sora was unable to avoid it in time and got kicked in the face, grunting in pain as he nearly lost his balance.

"Hey!" Kairi frowned before concentrating as best as she could and pointing Destiny's Embrace at the dark creature. "Blizzard!"

The Rogue Ninja was encased in ice, unable to move as Sora recovered. Anne then remembered something Sora had mentioned during her short training period with him. The brunette then tossed her Keyblade at the Heartless, which was the finishing blow for it. The ice shattered as the Heartless faded away with the heart floating up into the sky.

"Yeah!" Anne exclaimed.

Sora smiled as he dusted himself off. "Not bad there, Anne."

Kairi then walked over to Sora to check on him as the rest of the group caught up to him. "Are you okay?" she questioned, referring to the kick to the face he had received.

The spiky haired teen shrugged it off and gave her a reassuring smile. "It doesn't hurt that much. Don't worry, Kairi."

Just then, clapping could be heard echoing throughout, making them jump in surprise.

"Not too shabby..." a voice drawled out. "The newbies have some skill after all."

The group tensed as they looked around, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. However, Sora, Riku, and Lea were the most tense, as they had recognized the voice.

"What the?!" Naruto exclaimed before reaching for a shuriken.

"Who's there?!" Jason demanded with a frown as he gripped his Keyblade tightly.

"Whoa, easy there, buddy." the voice chuckled.

"Show yourself!"

"What? And spoil the fun? As if!"

"Quit playing around and come out!" Riku called.

Footsteps could be heard as a hooded figure in a black coat stepped out of the shadows. The person then took off their hood, revealing an all too familiar to face to those who had faced him before. He had long black hair streaked with silver tied back in a ponytail, a scar on his face, pointed ears, and an eye patch covering his right eye. What was most prominent was that his eye was a striking gold color. The man smirked at them as he stood there casually.

"Xigbar!" Lea, Riku, Kairi, and Sora exclaimed with frowns at they got their weapons ready. Clair, Jason, Aurora, and Anne only looked on with confusion.

"Who?"

The man, now known as Xigbar, smirked. "Actually, it's Braig now, but sure, you can call me Xigbar."

"What are YOU doing here?!" Sora demanded with a scowl. He was still upset about the time he had faced him and the Organization in the Realm of Sleep.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't our failed vessel! How've you been, slugger?" Xigbar/Braig smirked casually.

Aurora shook her head. First Heartless, then Nobodies, then people in black coats appearing out of nowhere? Why did she have to be dragged into this...?

"Wait, vessel? What's he talking about? Who is he?" Clair inquired as she glanced at Sora.

"It's a long story, but the short version is that this guy is Xigbar, a member of Organization XIII." he answered her before returning his gaze to Xigbar, or Braig.

"Buzz off, eye patch." Lea frowned at the Organization member.

The Organization member narrowed his one eye. "Well, if it isn't the traitor."

Aurora frowned. "Traitor? What does he mean?"

"Long story short, Lea used to be a member of the Organization when he was a Nobody, but he turned against them and became whole again when his Nobody was destroyed." Riku summarized.

"What do you want, Xigbar?!" Sora frowned at him.

Xigbar just smirked. "Well, we've gained word that there were some new Keyblade wielders around. I wanted to see how strong the newbies were. I've heard they were pretty pathetic, but from what I've seen, they're not so pathetic."

Jason growled at that. He was starting to grow frustrated with this freak.

"You were spying on us?! Wait, did you let these Heartless into the village?!" Naruto exclaimed as he pointed at the golden eyed man.

"Me? As if. They came in on their own, but now that you mention it..." He then snapped his fingers.

Before anybody could react, a swarm of Shadows had materialized before merging together into a cluster, just like in Twilight Town. The team gawked up at the swarm in shock.

"Whoa, what is that?!" Naruto asked, flabbergasted at the sight.

"Oh crap..." Anne muttered with wide eyes.

"This again?!" Jason exclaimed.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Aurora muttered.

Xigbar smirked and gave a simple salute. "Have fun." he taunted before opening a portal of darkness, entering it.

"Hey! Get back here!" Naruto exclaimed as he tried to go after the man, only for the portal to vanish.

"We've got bigger things to worry about!" Kairi reminded as they turned their attention back to the Demon Tide. Naruto clenched his fist before running to their side.

Sora prepared his Keyblade and got into his fighting stance. "Get ready, guys!"

The swarm rose up into the air towering over them as the Shadows within it spun around, making it seem like a tornado. It then prepared to dive down towards them.

"Watch out!" Anne exclaimed before everyone dove down to avoid being hit by the swarm of Heartless. The cluster of Shadows flew over them as a few separated themselves from the swarm and landed on the ground.

Riku reached quickly and slashed through one of them. One attempted to attack Aurora, but she slammed her Keyblade down on the Shadow, destroying it as well.

Lea rolled to the side before getting back onto his feet. "Fira!"

He shot a large fireball at the Shadow swarm, causing it to recoil. As the swarm spun around in the tornado like fashion, Naruto weaved a hand sign, yelling, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A Shadow Clone appeared in a puff of smoke next to him. He held his hand out to it and the clone spun its hands around it to create a Rasengan. Naruto then charged forward and leapt up towards the swarm. "Rasengan!"

He slammed it into the Shadow swarm, causing a couple more to separate from it while many more within the swarm recoiled from the blow. The Shadows separated from it rose up on the ground, slithering towards the team.

Immediately, Sora slashed through one that came towards him. Another sunk into the ground and slid underneath Aurora before rising back up. Aurora quickly whirled around to face the Shadow. Before it could attack her, she slammed her Keyblade into the Heartless, then destroyed it by jabbing her Keyblade into it. The Shadow immediately dissolved upon defeat.

Anne jumped to the side as another Shadow swiped at her side. With its back turned towards her, she swung her gray and black Keyblade at it, hitting it twice before it slunk back into the ground again. She tensed and got ready as it slithered behind her. As it rose back up, she side-stepped and slashed at the Shadow again, destroying it.

Clair focused as she prepared to use a spell. She held her Keyblade up and exclaimed, "Gather!"

The Magnet spell was activated and those stray Shadows within its range were sucked up into the air, helplessly floating around. Lea leapt into the air and hacked away at one of the Shadows. Kairi charged forward, using a nearby crate to gain momentum, and rammed her Keyblade into the nearest Shadow. Clair joined in on the action and slashed at one herself.

Jason took the opportunity to attack one of the Shadows still within the air and brought his Keyblade down on it. The Shadow vanished, turning into a dark cloud as the Magnet spell then wore off.

It was then the Demon Tide flew up into the air above them, spiraling like a hurricane.

"Uh oh." Kairi managed to say before yelling, "Watch out!"

The Tide flowed towards them as everyone dove down to avoid it. However, Jason was run over once again by it. He groaned as he stumbled up to his feet. "Not again..."

Aurora attempted to slash at the Tide as it passed by her. She managed to hit one Shadow within it before the Tide's turned red as it suddenly flowed to the ground, surrounding her, Sora, and Anne. The three had little time to react before the Demon Tide hit them from the ground. Sora grunted from the blow as the swarm of Shadows flew back up, forming a tower again as it spun around.

Anne jumped out of the way as it came towards her. The brown haired girl gripped her Keyblade as she then attempted to slash at the Tide. She managed to destroy a couple Shadows in it before the Tide's turned red again. It spun towards the ground and hit her again before she could dodge. Anne cringed and held her side as she tried to avoid the swarm.

"Heal!" Riku called as a green glow appeared and Anne felt the pain vanish.

"Thanks!"

The Keyblade Master nodded in reply before he leapt back and pointed his Keyblade at the Demon Tide. "Dark Firaga!"

A dark fireball shot forward and hit the Tide, dealing a bit of damage to it. Anne, who had now recovered at this point, swung her Keyblade at it, hitting a Shadow within the swarm and destroying it. Sora used a nearby wall and launched himself off it to gain enough height to attack the Tide as it flew up into the air. With a loud cry, he swung Kingdom Key and slammed it into the swarm, causing a couple Shadows within it to fade into darkness. He attacked it again, only to be knocked back as the Demon Tide flew back up into the air.

Naruto then ran to Sora's side. "I got an idea! Follow my lead!"

Sora nodded before he and Naruto charged forward. Naruto weaved a hand sign, exclaiming, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two Shadow Clones of himself came into existence in a puff of smoke. Together, they acted as a sort of slingshot and threw Naruto forward. As he flew towards the Tide, he flipped over and rammed his foot into it with a strong kick and flipped away again, tossing a few shuriken at it in the process.

One of Naruto's Shadow Clones let Sora jump off his back and up into the air. The other clone leapt up and grabbed Sora, giving him a boost as he threw him towards the real Naruto. The orange and black clad ninja then grabbed Sora's hand and threw him higher into the air.

When Sora was close enough, he slammed his Keyblade into the Demon Tide three times before delivering a powerful, downward slash as he descended. He and Naruto gave each other a fist bump upon landing back on the ground. "Yeah!"

Several of the Heartless within the swarm writhed before vanishing after the attack. The Tide's eyes glowed red once more as it rose into the air.

"Get ready!" Sora warned everyone as he tensed. The Demon Tide rushed towards them, but Naruto and Sora leapt out of the way before it could hit either of them. As it zipped towards the rest of the group, Clair could spot that the Shadows at the front of the swarm seemed to hover around a sort of dark orb. Her eyes widened with realization. Whatever that was, it seemed to be the source of the swarm's power, or at least what was holding it together.

Suddenly, the Demon Tide dove straight into the ground, vanishing before a dark shadow appeared underneath Jason and Lea as the Heartless leapt out of it, taking them by surprise. The two grunted as they got hit a couple times, but Jason growled and swung his Keyblade at the Shadows, slicing through a couple of them before he attempted to punch one. Lea managed to cast Reflect, protecting himself and Jason from any more hits as the Tide finally passed them.

It dove into the ground again as another shadow appeared beneath Anne and Aurora, but they both leapt out of the way as the Demon Tide jumped out of the ground.

"Guys!" Clair called. "Do you see that orb near the front?!"

Anne looked up and squinted to try and get a better look as the swarm of Shadows flew back up into the air. She could see the dark orb, as well as the Shadows that seemed to orbit it. "I see it!"

"So do I!" Riku agreed.

"What about it?" Naruto questioned.

"I think that's what we need to focus on!" Clair added as she got her Keyblade ready.

Sora blinked, but then realized what she meant. "Oh, I got it!"

"Let's finish this already!" Naruto declared as he charged forward with his clones. One of his clones ran ahead and jumped up towards the swarm, only for the Demon Tide to ram into it. However, the shadow clone vanished in a puff of smoke as Naruto and his remaining clone leapt through it, slamming another Rasengan into it. A few of the Shadows were destroyed upon being hit.

Anne ran towards it to attack next. The brown haired girl gripped her gray colored Keyblade tightly as she focused. She then pointed it at the Demon Tide and yelled, "Blizzard!"

A block of ice shot forward and hit the swarm, freezing a Heartless within it. Using this opportunity, she charged forward and slammed her Keyblade down on it, shattering and destroying the Shadow. Clair joined her and used a Fire spell against the swarm, causing another to catch aflame.

Sora then rushed forward and sliced through the Shadow. Once it vanished, an opening was created.

"Now, guys!" he called before bringing Kingdom Key down with a strong blow to the orb.

Jason used a nearby abandoned crate to help him get closer to the swarm before jumping off, raising his Keyblade above his head before slamming it down on the orb as hard as he could. Aurora jumped past him and slashed at the dark mass with her own Keyblade, landing a hit as well.

Kairi jumped into the fray as well. Sora gave her a boost, helping her jump higher to get a better angle. She destroyed a couple of Shadows in the swarm with her flower-themed Keyblade before jabbing the dark orb with it.

"My turn!" Lea exclaimed before charging toward the Demon Tide next. Kairi and Sora got out of the way for him as Lea bounded upwards, aiming his fiery weapon at the orb. "Fira!"

A large fireball burst from the tip of his Keyblade and hit the orb of darkness straight on. Several of the Shadows within the Demon Tide vanished from the attack.

Anne then remembered what Sora had taught her back at Radiant Garden. Maybe it would work...

She reared her arm back before throwing her Keyblade at the orb, which managed to hit it before it returned to her hand in a flash of light. "Yeah!" she cheered.

"Come on, time to end this!" Naruto yelled to them.

"My thoughts exactly." Jason said. The Tide then attempted to attack them by charging in head on. Everyone dodged the swarm of Shadows as it passed them, but as it turned around, it revealed the orb was still exposed. Riku used Flowmotion, using a nearby lamppost to swing himself towards it. He then landed a blow on the orb as he descended back to the ground.

Kairi shot a ball of light at the Demon Tide, hitting the dark orb within it. The Shadows seemed to hiss in pain from the attack as it appeared to grow weaker. Sora threw his Keyblade at the dark mass, using Strike Raid. The force of the attack was strong, causing the orb to recoil from the hit.

Aurora focused, shooting a Blizzard spell at it next, freezing a Shadow or two in the process. As it descended to the ground in an attempt to dive into another dark portal, Clair slashed at the Demon Tide with her Keyblade, hitting the orb once more. The swarm was weakened by the many blows it had received and seemed to be starting to fall apart now.

"It's over!" Sora declared. "Riku! Kairi!"

"Yeah!"

"On it!"

The three friends charged at the swarm together with Keyblades in hand. Riku charged forward and yelled, "Dark Firaga!"

The dark fireball burst from his winged Keyblade, hitting the swarm head on. Sora and Kairi ran around him as they prepared their attack.

"Let's do it!" Kairi said as she prepared another Light spell, but this time, combined it with Sora's.

"LIGHT!" the two yelled as they raised their Keyblades high, summoning a beam of light down, which pierced the orb.

The Shadows that formed the Demon Tide seemed to shiver as the dark orb was finally destroyed. Once it vanished into Darkness, the swarm broke apart. Each of the remaining Shadows within it collapsed to the ground, vanishing in wisps of black and dark purple clouds upon landing.

Anne panted as she caught her breath. "Wow..." she muttered.

"Is everybody alright?" Sora asked as he, Riku, and Kairi tread back to the rest of the group.

"A little banged up, but nothing too bad..." Lea remarked. Jason just grumbled as he brushed some dust off him.

"This thing was harder to beat than last time..." Anne remarked to them as she stood back up.

Naruto rose an eyebrow. "You guys faced this thing before?"

"Well... sort of." Sora shrugged. "It's kind of a long story..."

Kairi helped up Clair as Naruto glanced around them. "Well... I think we'd better report this back to Granny Tsunade. She'll definitely wanna hear about this..." he told them.

Once everyone had recovered, Naruto led them out of the area and onto the path that led to the Hokage's tower. However, everyone kept a sharp eye out for any more signs of surprise attacks. After a battle like that, they wanted to make sure they weren't ambushed like that again for the rest of the walk.


	23. Onwards

**I'd like to thank DinoWriter23 for helping me out with a part in this chapter. I really appreciate it.**

* * *

Tsunade peered over the papers she was examining after Naruto had finished debriefing her over the battle they had experienced.

When they had arrived a few minutes before, Tsunade's desk was stacked with papers all about the Heartless, and more recently, the Nobodies.

"... I see..." she muttered after a moment. "And has this 'Xigbar' been sighted anywhere on the way back?"

Riku shook his head. "No, ma'am. He disappeared as soon as the swarm showed up."

The Hokage set the papers down, deep in thought. Each of the reports she had been getting had just about the same things in each of them; the Heartless and Nobodies popping out of nowhere attacking people they come across, but this was entirely different.

"Have you faced him before?" Tsunade questioned.

" _We_ have, but they haven't." Sora said as he gestured to Aurora, Jason, Clair, and Anne.

Tsunade pondered for a moment. "Do you think he might come back?"

"He tends to show up in random places, sometimes to confront us, so I'm not so sure." Sora answered honestly.

Tsunade furrowed her brow. Now that there was some strange man involved? This couldn't be good...

"I'll have the ninja on high alert if this man shows up again." the Hokage decided. "For now, the Heartless issue seems to have been handled, but we will keep an eye out for any sign of them. Thank you very much for your help."

"Not a problem, ma'am." Sora replied.

"Naruto, will you escort them out of the village?" Tsunade then requested to Naruto, who nodded.

"Sure thing, Granny." he replied as he headed towards the door. "Let's go, guys."

The group began to follow Naruto out the door, but then Tsunade called, "Good luck on your travels."

"Thanks, Lady Tsunade!" Kairi called over her shoulder as the door shut.

* * *

"So, where are you guys headed?" Naruto questioned as they soon arrived at the front gates.

Lea shrugged. "Oh, wherever we end up, I guess." he replied, not sure to answer Naruto's question or not.

"Hey, by the way, thanks for the help with those Heartless and Nobodies!" Naruto grinned as he held his fist out. Sora smiled and fist bumped him.

"No problem, Naruto. Glad to have helped. Guess we made the job easier for you, huh?" he joked, earning a couple chuckles from the blonde ninja and the others.

Naruto's headband started to slide off, having become loose during the fights. He reached up to fix it, but suddenly, it glowed and floated up into the air. "Huh? What the?!" Naruto exclaimed in shock.

Anne, Clair, Aurora, and even Jason looked up in surprise as the glow around Naruto's headband suddenly shot a beam of light into the air, forming a Keyhole shape in the sky. "What is that...?" Anne asked with awe as she took a step forward, standing just a couple feet away from Sora.

"The Keyhole..." Riku answered simply as Sora summoned his Keyblade. Anne's Keyblade automatically appeared in her hand, much to her confusion as it suddenly pointed itself at the Keyhole as Sora pointed Kingdom Key at it as well.

"Whoa!" she gasped in surprise.

A beam of light shot off the two Keyblades and entered the Keyhole. Upon that happening, there was a bright flash of light, followed by a 'click' as the light died down.

Naruto blinked as his headband landed back in his hands. "... what the heck was that?"

"A new pathway has opened." Sora replied to his new friend, who had a blank look. "It means we have to leave soon."

"Oh..." The orange wearing ninja tied his headband back onto his forehead. "You will stop by to visit, won't ya?"

Sora smiled. "Of course!"

"Hey, by the way, do you need any help with your ship?" Naruto offered.

"I think we got it." Riku replied as he looked down at a Gummi Block in his hand.

"Well, if you ever wanna stop by the Hidden Leaf again, we'll be here! And hopefully, the Heartless won't." Naruto smiled.

"We'll keep that in mind." Kairi chuckled.

Sora, Riku, Kairi, Anne, Clair, and Lea waved goodbye to Naruto as they walked away while Jason and Aurora remained quiet. The group walked down the road until the gates were far behind them.

Clair looked over at Sora. "So, is that normal? With that Keyhole appearing in the sky?" she questioned.

The spiky haired teen nodded in reply. "It's how we open new pathways to other worlds. It helps us get around easier when travelling in the Gummi Ship."

"It was pretty cool..." Anne commented with a smile.

After a moment of the group walking down the path silently, Anne finally spoke again. "Uh... so, where did we crash at...?"

Riku paused for a moment, trying to see which way they came from until he remembered upon seeing a path that led into the woods on their left. "That way."

"You sure?" Clair asked, earning a nod from Riku.

"Positive." he said before they walked into the woods. As they walked further in, they could clearly see the broken tree branches and soil that had been thrown about from the Gummi Ship hitting them. They were getting close.

It took several minutes, but they eventually found the crash site. The Gummi Ship looked less banged up than when they left it, but still a bit damaged. Chase was working on the Gummi Ship inside, or at least attempting to. Dylan and Goofy were working on repairs on the outside. Donald, who was currently keeping watch, noticed the group approaching.

"They're back!" he squawked, getting the other three's attention.

Kairi waved. "Hi, guys." she greeted.

Dylan set down a piece he was working on, dusted his hands off, and walked over to the Keyblade wielders. "Are you guys okay? You were gone for a while..."

"We're fine, Dylan." Anne assured him, cracking a smile. "We ran into a little trouble along the way, though..."

"A little?" Aurora deadpanned, earning a shrug from the brown haired girl.

"We ended up fighting some Heartless, then met a resident of this world. His name was Naruto. His village was having trouble dealing with the Heartless and most recently, the Nobodies, so we helped him and some of his friends fight them." Clair explained.

"Wait, there were Nobodies there, too?" Goofy asked with surprise.

Anne rose an eyebrow. "Did any come around here?"

"Yeah. We were ambushed by one a while ago. It was able to drain our energy if it caught us, but we managed to defeat it." Dylan nodded.

"We got attacked by a couple of those things." Jason said, crossing his arms.

"And after that, we ran into a member of Organization XIII." Kairi added.

Donald and Goofy jumped. "What?!"

However, Dylan blinked with confusion as Chase poked his head out of the ship. "You mean those guys in the black coats you were telling us about?" he called.

Riku nodded in reply, his lips curling into a frown. "His name was Xigbar. He was someone that Sora, Lea, and I fought in the past. Before we could get any answers from him, he summoned another swarm of Shadows. This one, it was just like the one back in Twilight Town."

"What was Xigbar doin' here?" Goofy asked.

"We didn't get a chance to find out before he cut and run." Jason said.

"He did say he was spying on us." Clair spoke up. "He mentioned something about wanting to see how strong we were..."

"Yikes. Talk about creepy." Chase commented before slipping back into the Gummi Ship.

Hoping to change the subject, Sora held out some of the Gummi Blocks they had collected. "On the bright side, check out what we found while we were there! Some of the Heartless dropped these after we defeated them."

Anne, Riku, and Clair held out some of the Gummi Blocks that they had with them as well. Donald's eyes lit up. "That's great! We'll get the Gummi Ship fixed in no time!"

It was then Chase poked his head back out. "Hey, looks like we won't need those! I think I got it fixed!" he announced with a grin.

Dylan turned his head to look back at his brother. "Uh, Chase? I don't think you-"

Before Dylan could finish his sentence, Chase was already in the cockpit at the pilot's seat. He rubbed his hands together before looking at the controls. "Alright, let's get this thing started!"

He pressed a button... only to be suddenly ejected from the Gummi Ship by the seat he was sitting on. His eyes widened as he went flying up into the air, flailing his arms around. "WHOOOOAAA!"

Chase then landed face-flat on the ground, earning grimaces from some of the group as they cringed.

Dylan, Clair, Sora, and Anne went to check on the teen as he groaned, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "You okay, Chase?" Anne asked her friend. He merely gave a dazed grin and thumbs up before rattling his head.

"I think you should leave the repairs to us." Riku commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Dylan replied as he helped his brother up.

Sora looked up at the Gummi Ship. "Well... time to get to work, then."

The group began to start working on repairing their crashed ship with the Gummi Blocks they had managed to collect during their trip. However, Chase, who had recovered from landing on his face, stopped Donald in his tracks.

"What is it?" Donald questioned as he looked up at the teen.

"You remember the talk we had earlier?"

The court magician rose an eyebrow, but then remembered the conversation he and Chase had before they were ambushed by the Nobody. Donald sighed as he glanced over at Jason and Anne, who were currently by the Gummi Ship trying to help out, though Jason looked more reluctant.

"You think they'll listen?" Donald questioned, earning a shrug from Chase.

"Well, I think Anne might. Jason? I'm not so sure."

With a sigh, Donald headed over to Anne and Jason. Anne tried to put a Gummi Block in place, resorting to hitting it a couple times to try and make it stay. "Can't they give you a manual on how to use these things?" she muttered out loud, then noticed Donald approaching them. "Donald?"

"Look..." Donald began, unsure of how to tell them. "Back on the ship... I thought I could stop us from crashing. I didn't want to hand the controls over because... because the Queen said I should fly and I didn't want anyone else but me to pilot the ship." he admitted, though reluctantly.

The two teens stared at him for a moment. Anne then sighed. "It's okay... but maybe next time, you should let someone else fly the ship, y'know, so we won't crash again?"

Donald crossed his arms, thinking about it. "... maybe."

Jason, however, shoved his hands in his pockets. "Whatever..." he muttered, blowing him off.

Donald shot a glare at him and opened his mouth, but no words came out. With a huff, he headed off to help out Sora, Riku, and Goofy near the front. Anne frowned at Jason. "Really?"

He just ignored her and went back to trying and getting the ship fixed.

* * *

After about half an hour later, they had finally managed to repair the Gummi Ship with the Gummi Blocks. It looked good as new and ready to launch. Sora smiled widely as he turned back to the group. "Alright, ready to go, guys?"

"As long as we don't crash again." Aurora said as she crossed her arms.

The team boarded the colorful ship one by one as they headed to their seats. Anne plopped down into her seat, glad to sit down.

Sora sat near the front as Donald took a seat at the controls. Once everyone else had sat down, he started the ship up. The engines roared to life as the boosters ignited behind the ship.

Slowly, the Gummi Ship rose from its spot on the ground.

"And... Liftoff!" Donald exclaimed as he hit the launch button. The Gummi Ship took to the skies, blasting off and leaving the world of the ninjas behind.

As the spacecraft flew into the sky, Anne clung onto her seat tightly with a wide eyed look. She still hadn't gotten used to this yet...

A moment later, they had left the world and were back in the Sea in Between Skies. Once the ship had slowed down, Anne sighed with relief as she closed her eyes and slipped her headphones on, hoping to relax for a bit while listening to her music. All this fighting today made her pretty tired.

Clair decided to take the time to read more from the books that Merlin had given her. Jason simply had his arms crossed as he kept quiet. Aurora was basically the same.

Sora was currently telling Chase, Dylan, Donald, and Goofy all about what had happened in the Leaf Village while Kairi stared out the window.

However, Riku seemed to be in deep thought. He was currently thinking about the newest members of the group. During the fights they had been in, he noticed their fighting techniques needed some work. They haven't been fighting as long as they have, and he knew that if they didn't get some more training in, they wouldn't last five minutes in a tougher battle.

It was then he decided to speak up. "Guys... I think that the new guys need to train a bit more."

Lea glanced over at him. "Yeah, I hear you. They need to know a little more about how to fight."

Jason just scoffed. "I already know how to fight."

"He means learning more techniques that could save you in a battle." Riku told him.

"Trust me, I know my way through a fight." Jason insisted. Riku sighed and shook his head. What was it going to take to get him to listen?

Sora glanced over at them. "It's actually a good idea. You guys really should try to work on learning how to use your abilities."

Dylan was silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "I could train some more... still need to work on using this sword and magic..."

"A little more training wouldn't hurt." Kairi commented.

"And I could work on using the spells." Clair added as she glanced up from her book.

"Well, where could we go?"

Sora folded his arms behind his head as he thought about a good place to train. There were many worlds to choose from, but then he remembered one place where he trained as well. "I think I know a place!" he spoke up with a smile. Everyone turned their attention towards him at that.

"Oh? Where?" Kairi asked curiously.

The spiky haired teen smiled and walked up to the controls. "It's one that Donald, Goofy, and I went to before a while ago. We know someone who's considered a 'true hero' there. Wait till you guys meet him!" He then turned to look at Donald. "Mind if I take them this time? Please?"

The talking duck was about to protest, but he then remembered the conversation he had earlier and closed his beak. "... sure, Sora."

Sora's eyes lit up. "Alright!" he cheered as he and Donald swapped places. He gripped the controls eagerly and directed his gaze ahead of them. "Here we go, guys!"

The Gummi Ship blasted off as Sora flew it, eager to get to the world he had in mind.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an abandoned building, two figures were walking through a hall. One of the figures had pale, almost sickly green skin and was wearing a horned headdress with a long, black coat with a high, purple collar. The figure also carried a scepter with a green orb. This was Maleficent, the evil fairy.

The other figure was a rather chubby anthropomorphic cat that was wearing a red shirt with blue armor on their shoulders that were connected to a pair of blue pants by straps that intersected across their chest. Their pants had two large pockets and had a large zipper in the front. Also, the figure wore blue fingerless gloves with a pair of blue boots with light blue straps across the front. This was Pete, Maleficent's assistant.

"So, where is this book supposed to be, Maleficent?" Pete asked her.

The evil fairy paused for a moment before glancing at Pete with yellow, narrowed eyes. "I do not know. Why do you think we're looking for it?"

"Um... good point." Pete gulped. "But we've been lookin' for a while, now, Maleficent. Maybe this book's long gone-"

"I highly doubt that." Maleficent cut him off. Ever since the incident with the attempted kidnapping of Queen Minnie, they had been searching for the 'Book of Prophecies', a mysterious book said to contain events that have yet to take place.

"Well, where do you thinks we should look next, huh?" Pete asked.

She was silent for a moment, then spoke. "We must search the worlds that have been around the longest, with civilizations that date back to the time of the Keyblade War." Maleficent said. "The deserts of Agrabah are teeming with old ruins. It is possible that we will find the book there."

"If you want someone old, why not just ask a god?" Pete asked.

Maleficent looked at him as if she was going to strike him down, but then smiled. "Why, Pete. You actually came up with a good idea for once. And I know just the god to ask."

With a wave of her hand, a portal of darkness appeared in front of them. "Come, Pete. It's time we go meet with an old 'friend' of ours..."

Together, the two villains walked through the portal, intent on finding the person that Maleficent had in mind. As soon as they were inside, it vanished behind them.

* * *

Back with the team, the Gummi Ship floated in place in the Sea in Between Skies. In fact, the ship had been like that for a while, now, as they couldn't find the path to the place they were looking for.

Jason frowned. "I thought you said you knew where you were going."

"I do! It's just... I can't seem to find it, though..." Sora defended himself as he pondered what was going on.

During the time Sora was trying to find the world he had in mind, Anne had fallen asleep listening to soft music in her headphones. Chase had a bored look as he slumped in his seat. Lea had his head propped up by his fist as he rested his elbow on the armrest of his seat, looking ready to nod off as well. Clair was trying to pass the time by reading her books some more to study. Aurora merely crossed her arms, looking annoyed.

"Looks like the highways have been closed off..." Goofy noticed. "Must've happened after our last adventure."

Chase groaned. "What? How does that happen?"

"Well, maybe cause we haven't traveled through 'em for a while?" Goofy guessed with a shrug.

"What are we supposed to do, now?" Dylan asked.

"Hm... maybe you should listen to your heart." Goofy suggested. Sora pondered for a moment. Listening to his heart did help a lot...

"Which way, Sora?" Donald prodded, tapping his fingers impatiently.

"Uh... just let me think, these things take time." Sora told the magician.

"You were already there before, right? Why not try picturing the people you've met there?" Kairi suggested.

Sora glanced at her, then nodded in agreement. He then flexed his arms, earning a couple confused looks from the others.

"Well? Any luck?" Dylan questioned, but Sora shook his head.

"Nope... that didn't work either..." he sighed.

"May your heart be your guiding key." Goofy suddenly said. This earned him questioning looks from everyone.

"What does that mean?" Clair asked.

"Master Yen Sid always told us that before we went off on any of our adventures." the Captain of the Royal Knights explained, then looked at Donald. "You remember, don'tcha, Donald?"

"Uh... no."

"Oh... maybe I just imagined it..."

Sora, however, took Goofy's words to heart. "'May my heart be my guiding key...'" he said to himself, closing his eyes as he listened to what his heart was saying. In his mind, he could faintly see the world that they were trying to get to, as well as the friends he, Donald, and Goofy had made there...

"I've got it!" he grinned as he stood up, summoning his Keyblade before pointing it up towards the sky outside of the ship.

Dylan rose an eyebrow. "Uh, what're you doing?"

A beam of light then came from the tip of Sora's Keyblade and shot out of the ship. A portal then materialized outside of the Gummi Ship before their very eyes.

"Whoa!" Chase gasped as Dylan, Clair, and even Jason and Aurora stared with surprise.

Anne then jerked awake, sitting up straight as she blinked with confusion, taking her headphones off of her ears. "W-What's goin' on?" she slurred.

"Sora's opened a gate!" Donald explained to her, which only perplexed her some more. What was going on while she was out?

"A gate? What kinda gate?" she asked.

Her questioned went unanswered as Sora took the controls again. "Buckle up, everyone! Olympus Coliseum, here we come!" he declared.

Sora took control of the Gummi Ship once more as it blasted off into the gateway.

"Wait, what? A gate?! Guys, what's going on?! Hello?!" Anne exclaimed, her voice echoing through the portal as they headed off to their next destination.

* * *

However, in the World that Never Was, Xemnas was watching with a keen eye from a higher level as a certain boy was training. A smirk crept up on his face. He was doing quite well... ever since Josh had arrived, he was picking up new techniques rather quickly.

He was going to be quite the fighter, he could tell...

Josh looked down at his hand as a small cloud of darkness billowed in it. He gave a triumphant smirk. This darkness... he liked it. It was amazing... and it was _his_ to use. Now that Xemnas and those other people in the black hoods had showed him how to use the darkness, it made him feel much more powerful... he couldn't wait to use it.

He then clenched his fist, snuffing out the dark smoke in his hand. "I think it's time I go test this out..."


	24. Welcome to Olympus

Nash stumbled blindly through the dark, smoke like corridor he was in. Ever since that Heartless caught him by surprise back in that Agrabah place, he had been trying to find his way through the portal he was in.

"Come on... is there any way out of this one?!" he exclaimed out of frustration.

He looked around the dark corridor, trying to find some sort of exit, but could only see more of the dark wisps. Nash then dashed forward, looking left and right as he tried to search for a way out. The raven haired teen nearly tripped, but regained his footing as he kept running.

He didn't care where this thing led to, he just wanted to get out.

Maybe it even led to this 'Halloween Town' that those guys in the black coats were talking about... maybe he'd find Josh there, or even this 'Sora' and his friends.

Just then, up ahead, he could see another dark portal open. Nash's eyes widened before he picked up the pace, running faster than before. He then ran through it, and upon exiting the dark portal, tripped on a root and landed on his face as the portal vanished behind him.

With a groan, he hoisted himself up, shaking his head as he recovered. Nash then looked up with surprise upon observing his surroundings. He landed on a dark, dirt path that eventually turned into a cobblestone road up ahead. The sky was dark with a large moon looming in the distance. He could faintly see a sort of hill that appeared to curl in front of it. By the hill, tombstones could be seen.

Jack-o-lanterns laid here and there along the path, some of them even stuck on the poles of metal fences. There were also dead trees sprouting in different places. The grass was even dull and lifeless.

Needless to say, this place gave Nash the creeps.

He then glanced down and blinked with surprise upon seeing his appearance had changed. "What the heck am I _wearing_?!"

Nash's purple jacket with brown flames on the sleeves had changed to a tattered, black shirt. To go with it, there was also a sleeveless dark purple vest. There were bandages that had wrapped around his arms with a couple of loose ones hanging idly. His jeans became dark gray pants. He glanced in a broken mirror lying on the ground and saw that his skin looked more ashen and his eyes looked a bit sunken in, and he seemed to have some sort of skeleton makeup on.

His eyes widened in surprise and stumbled away from the mirror, trying to calm down. "Okay... just keep it together..." he told himself, then looked around again. "Am I in Halloween Town...?"

He thought about maybe asking the locals. If this really was Halloween Town, then there was a chance Josh could be here.

With that, he walked down the winding cobblestone road, hoping that there wasn't anything else creepy at wherever it led to.

* * *

The Gummi Ship soared through the gateway as Sora piloted it. Now that they actually had a way to get there, the ride was going much more smoothly.

"What's Olympus like?" Clair asked him from where she sat.

"It's great! It's got this huge coliseum where they hold tournaments. Just wait till you see it." Sora told her, then added, "Though Phil's training can be a little crazy, there..."

Jason looked up at that. "Phil?" he asked, thinking of the Phil that he knew back from Harthyn.

"Philoctetes." Sora clarified. "Everyone calls him Phil for short."

Jason looked back at the window as he stared outside. So it wasn't the one he knew...

However, a beeping on the monitor drew everyone out of their thoughts. Riku looked at it, then up ahead as they could see another world up ahead. "Looks like we got another world incoming."

Sora looked ahead as well, and upon seeing it, his eyes lit up. "We're there!" he told everyone before piloting the ship towards the world. As it descended towards the new world, Anne braced herself just in case.

Surprisingly, the ride was rather smooth this time as Sora landed the Gummi Ship. The red and black clad teenager let go of the steering levers as he powered down the ship before eventually parking it. He then got out of the pilot's seat. "So, you guys ready to head out?" he questioned.

He earned nods from most of the passengers on the Gummi Ship. "Yeah, let's go!" Chase said, eager to see the place.

With that, they exited the ship. However, to Sora, Donald, and Goofy's surprise, instead of parking at the coliseum itself, they found that they had parked just outside of the city the coliseum was in. They could see a large, white wall that seemed to go up at least twenty feet and had a set of open gates. "Huh... that's new." Sora remarked, then looked back at the group. "Phil and Hercules are probably at the coliseum right now. It's this way."

The group then entered the city through the open gates. They followed the road as it led into the city, where civilians in Greek looking clothing were going about their daily business. Some were carrying vases filled with water, others carrying tapestries. Some people were trying to sell some merchandise they had. It almost reminded the group of the market back in Agrabah, only with less sand.

The buildings were mostly white, each of them varying in size. Most of them had large pillars holding up the roof. There were some designs and carvings of people in togas and dresses that were engraved into some of the roofs and pillars. There were even a couple temples that resided on hills in the distance.

One person then stepped in front of them, holding out some food. "Care to buy some grapes?"

"We're fine, thank you." Riku denied as they made their way past the merchant.

On some vases they passed by, Anne and Clair could see designs painted on them, some portraying monsters, some portraying people. There were also statues of people here and there. Anne let out an impressed whistle. "People actually made these?" Clair asked with wonder.

"Yeah, the people here spent lots of days carving these out of stone and clay." Goofy explained as he walked by them. "They also built these buildings, too."

"People actually did that without machines?" Jason asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

Aurora had a similar reaction to Jason's. "Machines would build stuff like that back home and get it done faster."

"Gawrsh..." Goofy said hearing this.

As they moved on, something caught Anne's eye. She turned and saw a building with several items on display, including a few musical instruments and more vases. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the group was still nearby looking at some other things, as well as trying to decline some merchants trying to sell them items. She figured it wouldn't hurt to take a quick look, so she slipped into the building.

Surprisingly, not a single person was there. Anne rose an eyebrow at that. The other buildings had people inside them, so why not this one?

"Hello?" she called, but heard nothing except for the echo of her own voice. The brown haired teen started to examine the items on display, though felt a bit uneasy due to the silence.

Some of the pottery had designs of people playing handheld instruments, such as a type of flute and a small harp. Anne was careful not to bump into any of the displays so she wouldn't knock anything over as she made her way through. She did notice that one piece of pottery had a group of about five women in white dresses on them, each of them varying in height.

However, some instruments that were on display nearby caught her attention. As she examined them, she noticed a pan flute, a tambourine, a type of harp that could be held in one's arms, and some sort of hand held instrument that resembled a guitar, but was much smaller and thinner.

"That's one weird looking guitar..." Anne remarked to herself, placing a hand on her hip.

"Actually, it's called a pandura." a woman's voice corrected her.

"Right..." Anne muttered absently, then blinked, turning around. "Huh?"

She looked left and right, but couldn't see a single person. "Is anybody there?"

Anne took a step forward. "Who said that?!"

"That would be me." the woman's voice answered. Anne looked around, but still couldn't see anyone. "Down over here!" the voice called.

The teen looked to her right and saw the vase she had passed by a moment ago. Much to her shock, she saw that the five women in dresses on the vase were _looking right at her,_ and one of them, a woman with short hair that seemed to stick up a bit, was waving. "Hello!"

Anne yelled in surprise, leaping back from the vase, bumping into another one behind her and nearly knocking it over, but it regained its balance. With wide eyes, she shakily pointed at the women in the vase, stuttering, "Y-Y-Y-You- how- what're you- what the- YOU CAN TALK?!"

"Why, of course we can!" another one of the women, a woman with her hair held up by a headband, smiled.

"Anne!"

Anne turned her head back towards the entrance, seeing Kairi poking her head in. "There you are! We were wondering where you went."

"T-The women on the vase! They were-" Anne turned back to the vase, but much to her surprise, the women had vanished. "What the?!"

Kairi walked over to her. "Come on, everyone else is waiting."

"B-B-But they were right there! Where'd they-?!" Anne stammered as Kairi gently took her arm and led her out of the building and onto the streets. The rest of the group was waiting nearby at a set of stairs.

"There you are. It's best not to wander off in places like these." Riku told her.

"Um... sorry about that." Anne apologized, still trying to get over what she had seen just moments ago. It was then that she noticed past the steps, there was a mountain up ahead with clouds that surrounded it near the top. "Whoa..."

"That's where the coliseum is." Sora informed them, pointing towards the mountain.

"Wait, it's up _there_?!" Anne exclaimed, realizing how tall and high the mountain possibly was as her fear of heights kicked in.

"Yep!"

Anne paled, shuddering as she realized that they were going to have to make their way up the mountain to get to the coliseum...

Dylan seemed to notice. "Um... just... try not to look down, okay?" he advised her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She only groaned in response, hanging her head.

* * *

In the World that Never Was, Josh glanced over at Xemnas. Now that his training was over and that he had learned more about harnessing his dark powers, he was ready to leave. As he said before when he first met the silver haired man, once he learned what he wanted, he was gone. Besides, he had the feeling that Xemnas was thinking of something...

"I'm leaving now. I learned what I wanted to know." he said with a frown.

"Ah, yes, it appears that our deal is done, now." Xemnas nodded.

Josh then held out his hand and with a wave, summoned a Corridor of Darkness. Josh smirked at that and started to head towards it.

"If you come across a boy named Sora or anyone with him... why don't you test your strength on them?" Xemnas told him.

"I don't need you telling me what to do." Josh scoffed before stepping into the portal. The darkness seemed to consume him before the corridor vanished.

Not long after that, a wisp of darkness appeared next to Xemnas before being replaced by a man in the standard Organization XIII cloak. "Keep an eye on that boy. He has quite the potential..." Xemnas ordered as he turned to the man, who lowered his hood and revealed he had long, pale blue hair, golden eyes, pointed ears, and a scar in the shape of an X going across his face.

"... Saix."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Camelot, James and Eileen Marshall were sitting at a table in the inn they were staying at. The innkeeper had served them breakfast, much to their gratitude. James was currently wearily sipping some water out of a cup while Eileen was staring worriedly at the table.

Both of them were tense after those yellow eyed monsters attacked their home and finding out they were in a strange new place and that their daughter was missing. Neither of them knew what to do.

At least some of the people here were nice enough to help them out.

"We should look for her." James finally said as he looked at his wife.

"I think we should, too, but no one has seen her so far..." Eileen said, taking another sip of water.

"Maybe the king can help us." James brought up. "He could send his knights out to look for-"

"They're most likely dealing with these monsters, too." Eileen pointed out.

"... good point."

The two stayed quiet for a moment as the other people in the inn chatted with each other. Most of them seemed to be talking about the monsters that have been seen around the kingdom.

It was then James stood up. "Maybe we can try to find some sign of her. Maybe even find Boomer."

Eileen looked up at her husband. "But... what if they haven't been here at all...?"

James paused to think about it. "Then we can try to look somewhere else..." he told her, holding his hand out to her. She took it and he helped her out of her seat before they went to speak with the innkeeper.

"I suppose you're heading out, now?" the innkeeper questioned as he cleaned a tankard.

"Yes... thank you for letting us stay here." Eileen told him with a nod. Both of them were grateful that the king had paid for their stay.

"You're welcome. If you're gonna head out, though, be careful out there. Never know where those yellow eyed monsters could be lurking." the innkeeper warned.

"We'll keep that in mind." James replied before he and Eileen left the inn together. As they left the building, they could see several civilians were in the market, buying and trading things such as food, tapestries, and furniture. There were also knights in armor that held spears or swords in their hands standing guard in several places, most likely on the lookout for the creatures that everyone was talking about.

As they walked through the market, Eileen noticed several people staring at them, whispering to each other as they passed by, which made her feel a little awkward.

She tried to ignore it as she and her husband headed down the cobblestone path, trying to make their way through while also trying not to get lost in this new place. There were several roads that split into different direction, so they stuck to the one they were currently on.

Eileen glanced up at some of the buildings they passed by, taking note that they seemed rather old, with window shutters and the bottom half of some of them being made out of stones while the upper halves were made of wood. Some of the buildings were short, some of them tall. Several of the buildings were so close together that they appeared to butt against one another. She could see some sort of church nearby with a large wooden door.

There were also arches that were placed over the path every now and then, some of them having flowers growing at the bottom.

The husband and wife walked through one of them, taking the main path as the town square behind them. In the distance, they could see the large set of gates that led to the castle, where they presumed King Arthur was currently at.

"Do you think they'll let us in?" Eileen asked James.

He shrugged in reply. "I don't know, honestly."

As they neared the gates, one guard stopped them. "Halt. What is your business?"

"We need to speak with the king again." James told him.

"I'm afraid His Majesty is not available at the moment. He-"

Suddenly, a wisp of black smoke appeared nearby before it took the form of a creature with a black body, antennae, and yellow eyes. James, Eileen, and the guard's eyes widened in surprise, taken aback by the sudden appearance.

"The monsters!" the guard exclaimed as he grabbed his spear, ready to fight it.

James stood in front of Eileen protectively, glaring at the monster. "Eileen, stay behind me!"

Just as the creature of darkness lunged to attack, a sword slashed through it, which destroyed the creature as it vanished in a dark cloud. The sword belonged to none other than King Arthur himself, who stood up straight once the creature was gone. "Are you alright?"

The guard bowed before him. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Thank you..." Eileen said with relief.

Arthur sheathed his sword as he approached James and Eileen. "I was actually on my way to the inn to find you."

James rose an eyebrow. "Why's that?" he inquired.

"Did you find our daughter?!" Eileen gasped hopefully.

The king of Camelot let out a sigh, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but no, I haven't. But there's something that I believe you'll want to see." he told them. The two exchanged a look of surprise. Did he find a clue to where their daughter could be?

He then led them through the gates. "As you were, Rowan." he told the guard, who resumed his post by the gate.

James glanced up at the castle now that they were getting closer to it. This definitely looked like one of those castles he had seen in some books before. The walls stretched up so far that he had to crane his neck to try and see where it ended. There were also a couple banners that hung on display on the walls for all to see. The designs on the banners were rather beautiful.

The drawbridge had been lowered for them, so they walked across it and entered the courtyard of the castle. It was rather vast with a couple trees growing here and there.

As they neared a set of steps that led up to a large set of doors with an oriental design on them, Arthur approached the doors and pushed them open. He then stepped aside and gestured for them to step inside. James and Eileen exchanged a look before they entered the castle.

Much to the Marshall's awe, they saw an absolutely beautiful throne room. The floor was made of large marble squares, each with a design engraved in it. There were arches on both sides of the room, each of them supported by a pillar. Tapestries of all shapes and sizes, each with a specfic design woven into it, hung from flagpoles, pillars, as well as the ceiling.

There was a long, red carpet that led to a large throne that was surrounded by a pair of golden curtains with royal markings on them.

James whistled in amazement, unable to think of what to say at all of this.

"It's beautiful..." Eileen whispered.

Arthur closed the doors behind them before clasping his hands behind his back. James then snapped out of his stupor, glancing back at the blonde haired man. "So, why'd you want us to come? You wanted to show us your throne?"

The king shook his head. "No, that's not the reason. The real reason is over there." he told them as he pointed under an arch.

They followed his gaze and to their surprise, saw a sort of portal that was surrounded by dark wisps of smoke. Inside it, they could see purple and dark energy swirling around.

"That had recently appeared just this morning. My knights reported that it looked just like the hole that you two had fallen out of, so I thought you might know something about it..." he told them with a grim expression.

James shook his head. "No... but it looks like a portal of sorts..."

"A portal?"

"Uh... never mind." James muttered, not sure if he should explain what a portal was to someone from a medieval time.

"Has anyone gone through this thing?" Eileen asked.

"Not a single person has dared to enter, yet." King Arthur replied as he walked to their side. "We have no idea of what lies on the other side of this."

Eileen's eyes then widened as she placed a hand on James' shoulder. "What if this can take us to Anne?"

James blinked in surprise at that. "Eileen, we don't even know if this thing leads anywhere."

She looked at him desperately. "James, our daughter is somewhere out there, possibly being attacked by those things as we speak. I don't want to waste any time."

"There might be more of those monsters on the other side of whatever this 'portal' is. Perhaps it might even lead to a dangerous realm..." King Arthur pointed out.

"I'm willing to take that risk." Eileen said.

The king stared at them for a moment, then sighed. "If you wish to go, then I will not stop you."

Eileen looked up at James. "Honey?"

"... I'm with you." he nodded. Wherever this portal led to, he just hoped it led them to his daughter.

"Very well. But before you go, you should probably take this." Arthur walked over to one of the pillars, which had a couple swords on display. He took one of them before placing it in a sheath before walking back to the husband and wife, handing it to James. "Here. You might need this to defend yourself."

James took it, attaching it to his belt with a bit of difficulty. "Thanks." he said before his eyes widened and he quickly bowed. "Uh, thank you, Your Majesty."

He stood back up straight before he and Eileen turned to face the dark portal. He glanced at his wife. "Ready?"

She nodded, taking her hand in his.

"I wish you good luck." King Arthur told them, then remembered something. "Oh, and one more thing. If you see a man named Merlin, please tell him that Arthur says 'hello'."

"Of course." Eileen replied. She then took a deep breath before she and James ran into the portal, all while still holding each other's hands.

As soon as they ran in, they seemed to disappear as the portal itself suddenly vanished, leaving no trace behind while the king stared in shock.

* * *

"... so who's this Hercules guy?" Dylan asked as they made their way up a winding path that led up the mountain. The higher they went, they saw a beautiful view of the city.

However, Anne refused to look down, as she was currently trying not to panic from how high they were going.

"He's a true hero in this world." Donald explained.

"He's really strong, too!" Goofy added. Jason scoffed quietly, which Aurora glared at him for.

"Herc's helped us out a few times." Sora told them as they walked through an arch as it led away from the mountain side and into a grassy area, much to Anne's relief. She did notice a couple pillars standing, as well as a few more lying here and there.

"We're getting closer, guys." Sora then announced.

Chase sighed with relief. "Good, cause I was about to ask how much longer."

Before they could take another step further, several clouds of darkness appeared before they formed into Heartless, but these ones were different. They had purple armor with light purple outlines. They had dark purple pauldrons on their shoulders and pale yellow spikes protruding from them, the Heartless symbol on their chests, their faces were hidden mostly by a helmet that resembled a bull's head with light blue horns, and they had hooves for feet.

"Heartless!" Lea frowned as they called their weapons forth. Dylan unsheathed his sword while Chase got ready to fight.

"Get ready!" Riku told the group before they charged into battle. A couple of the unknown Heartless got on all fours, scraping their hooves on the ground before charging forward like a bull.

Before Dylan could react, one of the Heartless rammed into him, sending him flying back from the force of the attack. He yelled in pain from it as he landed a few feet away.

"Dylan!" Anne and Chase gasped.

Chase then glared at the Heartless before zipping towards it. "That's my brother, you lousy-!"

The humanoid bull like Heartless threw its fist forward, sending Chase flying back as well, landing just a couple feet in front of his brother. Anne ran to check on her friends. "You okay, guys?!"

Dylan winced, sitting up. "We're okay, Anne..."

"Ooh, look at those pretty stars!" Chase slurred.

"... then again, he might not be."

Anne held up her Keyblade. "Cure!" she called, using the healing spell as the green glowing leaves appeared around Dylan and healed him. She helped him up as he nodded with gratitude, then looked at his brother.

"Cure!" he called, also casting the spell and healing Chase, who then snapped out of it.

Chase shook his head and leapt up to his feet. "Thanks, bro!" he called before rejoining the fray with Dylan and Anne not too far behind.

Sora and Lea were teaming up to take on one of the Minotaurs, as Sora decided to call them. Sora threw his Keyblade, using Strike Raid as it returned to his hand after each hit, then threw it again. Lea then coated his Keyblade with flames, a little trick he learned during his training with Merlin. "Eat fire!" he taunted as he threw it at the Minotaur, which dealt some damage as the flames burnt the Heartless a bit.

"Nice one!" Sora exclaimed. The pyro grinned in reply as his flame like Keyblade returned to his hand. Sora then dashed forward, slamming his Keyblade into the Minotaur as it was caught off guard, then brought his Keyblade down hard on it, which finished the Heartless off as it released the heart it held.

Aurora glared at one as it was charging towards her. She focused and cast a Blizzard spell, which managed to freeze the Minotaur in place, giving her time to attack. The raven haired girl charged forward, smacking it hard a couple times with her Keyblade. However, the Heartless had managed to break free, catching her by surprise and knocking her back.

She grunted as she felt pain from the hit, but recovered. Aurora tightened her grip on the handle of her Keyblade before running back towards the Minotaur. "Try using something other than Blizzard!" Donald called.

Aurora then cast the Fire spell, shooting the fireball at the Heartless, which burnt it and dealt some damage. Anne then helped her out as she charged at it and slammed her Keyblade into it. Aurora joined her and whacked her Keyblade on the Minotaur as well. She finished it off with a sideways slash of her key-like weapon.

Nearby, Chase was dealing with one himself. He let it dash towards him, then sped out of the way at the last moment. "Over here!" he taunted.

The Minotaur ran towards him and attempted to attack the speedster again, only for Chase to vanish in a blur. Chase jumped onto its back from behind and leapt off, kicking it forward in the process. When he landed on the ground, he concentrated as he prepared to cast a spell. "Thunder!"

Lightning hit the Heartless, causing it to twitch as the lightning damaged the dark creature, causing it to spasm a bit and giving them an opening to attack.

Clair joined Chase in fighting it as she attacked the Minotaur with her Keyblade. It was unable to fight back since it was still being shocked by the remaining lightning from the attack. Seeing this, she hit it a couple more times, then destroyed it with a final swing.

"Yeah!" Chase whooped. "Good one!"

"Aero!" Kairi called as a strong gust of wind emerged from her Keyblade and knocked a Minotaur off its feet and into the air, spinning around in the process. As the Heartless slowly descended, Kairi used this to her advantage and leapt up, slashing at it as hard as she could with her Keyblade. The Minotaur then landed on its back, still reeling from the attack that it didn't see Kairi plunge her Keyblade into it, destroying it and releasing the heart it held as it slowly floated out of sight.

It was then the remaining Minotaurs held up a trumpet and blew into them in unison, as if sounding a battle cry. The Minotaurs then rallied together, forming a crowd and charging at the group like a stampede.

"Uh oh!" Anne gasped as she and Dylan quickly dove out of the way. Riku was caught off guard and knocked backwards by the stampede. He grunted, but managed to recover and flipped over in midair, holding his side. He cast Cure on himself to heal the injury before getting ready to fight again.

Goofy then perked up as an idea popped into his head. "Sora! Donald!" he called. The two immediately ran to his side.

"What is it, Goofy?!" Donald asked.

"I got an idea!" Goofy said as he got his shield ready. "Get behind me, guys!"

The two got behind Goofy, who's shield began to glow. The three began to use a Trinity attack as Goofy charged at the Minotaurs with Sora and Donald hanging onto him. Goofy rammed his shield into the stampede and jumped back. They then charged head on at the Heartless again and slammed the shield into the stampede even harder, which managed to break the stampede apart and knock the Minotaurs away like bowling pins.

Dylan charged forward with his sword in hand, attacking the one that had landed closest to him. He slashed at the Heartless a couple times. His sword then crackled with electricity as he attacked the Minotaur again, electrocuting the Heartless. The Minotaur twitched and spasmed from the lightning. "Take this!" he exclaimed as he delivered the final blow to the creature of darkness, plunging his sword down into it. He yanked his sword out, stepping back as the Heartless vanished in a dark wisp of smoke.

Nearby, Riku used Flowmotion, glowing as he leapt off a nearby pillar that was standing up, launching himself straight towards an unsuspecting Minotaur. He managed to hook Way to Dawn onto it, spinning around the Heartless before he used the force of the attack to throw the Minotaur away, sending it crashing into another one.

Anne then darted towards another with her Keyblade in hand. The Minotaur had managed to recover from being knocked over by the one that crashed into it and attempted to swipe at her. Anne jumped to the side to avoid its claw. The Minotaur then got down on all fours, preparing to charge at her. Anne got an idea, throwing her Keyblade at it. It spun in the air before hitting the Heartless a couple times as it was caught off guard by that. Her Keyblade then returned to her hand. The Minotaur appeared to be on its last legs now. Seeing this, Anne shot a Fire spell at it, finishing it off.

Jason charged head on at a Minotaur and swung his Keyblade at it, dealing a powerful blow. He let out a yell as he lifted his Keyblade above his head and brought it down even harder than the last time. The Minotaur tried to fight back, only for Jason to keep slashing at it. He then delivered the final blow to it, destroying the last Minotaur in the area.

Sora dismissed his Keyblade once he saw all the Heartless have been dealt with. "That takes care of that."

"Let's go, everybody." Donald told them once they had recovered.

The team walked through another arch, finding that it showed another ledge that showed them how high they were.

"Why does the coliseum have to be so high...?" Anne shuddered, trying not to panic as her knees started shaking. They started walking up the path, which just took them higher and higher up the mountain.

The higher they went, they noticed a few more pillars and even a stream heading downwards. There was a couple stone statues of Greek gladiators that were placed here and there.

It was then Clair noticed that some clouds seemed to surround the path now. They even started to block their view of the ground far below, much to Anne's relief as her heart started calming down.

"We're just about there, everybody!" Goofy said cheerfully.

The path they were on now curved to the side as it revealed a set of stairs that led upwards. They ascended up the steps, which led up to a large set of doors in between two large pillars.

"And we're there!" Sora announced as he looked up at it, then pushed open the doors for them, leading the group inside.

Anne, Chase, Dylan, Clair, Jason, Aurora, and Kairi stared up in surprise as they walked through the doorway. Up ahead, they could see two large golden statues of gladiators holding their swords up in a sword-lock. Below them was a large set of doors with a lightning bolt at the top and lines that formed the shape of a gate at the bottom. The door had a set of three pillars on each side of it.

There were torches that were lit and placed at the base of the statues, as well as behind the group. On the side of the courtyard, there were openings in the walls that could give them a view of the clear blue sky. On each side of the doors that they just passed through, there was a billboard with the words 'ranking' on them.

"Welcome to the coliseum, everybody!" Sora smiled.

Dylan looked around, clearly impressed. "Wow... this is..."

"Amazing!" Anne finished, her eyes wide with awe.

"Whoever built this place did an amazing job." Clair said.

"Looks like they managed to fix the place up!" Goofy noted, earning a look of confusion from Kairi.

"Did something happen here?" the Princess of Heart asked.

Goofy nodded, recounting what had happened during their last visit to the coliseum. "The last time we were here, the coliseum was destroyed by a monster called the Hydra. We managed to defeat it, though."

Sora glanced around them as he took a step forward. "Hm... Herc and Phil should be around here somewhere..." he said to himself, then noticed a figure up ahead walking towards the large doors.

"... oy, where is he? Herc was supposed to be here thirty minutes ago!" the figure said in a gruff voice.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy's eyes lit up. "Hey, Phil!" Sora greeted.

"Herc! About time! You're supposed to be helping out with-" The figure turned around to face them, and much to the new team members' shock, the figure was revealed to be a short, chubby satyr with dark red fur, a pair of horns, and a red goatee. His eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Sora, Donald, and Goofy before smirking and approaching them.

"Hey, if it ain't the Junior Heroes!" he exclaimed as he gave Sora a fist bump. "Long time, no see! How've you been?"

"Oh, you know, the usual." Sora smiled.

"'Junior Heroes'?" Lea smirked, but Sora waved him off.

"Where's Hercules?"

"I was wondering the same thing." the satyr sighed, crossing his arms.

"Uh... what is that?" Jason asked.

Sora glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, right. Sorry. Everyone, this is Philoctetes, or Phil for short. Phil, these are my friends." he introduced, gesturing to them one by one. "That's Riku, Kairi, Lea, Chase, Anne, Aurora, Clair, Dylan, and Jason."

Phil looked up at them, crossing his arms. "Well, welcome to the coliseum." he told them before looking back at Sora. "What brings you here?"

"Well... we figured that we could use a bit of training." Lea replied then glanced over at the others. "Especially the new guys here."

Philoctetes smirked, placing his hands on his hips. "Oh, I see. You need a bit of ol' Phil's training, huh? Well, you've come to the right place!"

He then turned on his heel, or hoof, and walked up the stairs to the set of doors. "This way, everyone."

The satyr pushed the doors open, revealing a hallway with several torches lighting the way for them. On both sides, there were some vases that depicted warriors in battle. "Alright, people, this way! Try to keep up." Phil called over his shoulder as he led them down the hall.

Eventually, they came to a small room lit by a torch on each side. "This here's the lobby, where I have people who wanna sign up for tournaments wait here."

"Tournaments?" Anne echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, for people who think they're tough enough."

Jason crossed his arms. "People who are tough enough, huh?"

"Unfortunately, there ain't no tournament going on at the moment." Phil replied offhandedly as he walked to a doorway, entering it. "Arena's this way."

The group exchanged a look before they followed him into the hall one by one. It was a bit dark, though a few torches lit the way for them. Chase nearly bumped into Jason, who shot him a glare. "Watch it!"

"Sorry! Sorry..."

It was then they could see a light up ahead. As they got closer, a couple of them had to squint from the sunlight, but by the time they reached the end of the hallway, their eyes had adjusted to the light.

Anne blinked in surprise at what they saw. "Whoa."

Before their very eyes stood a sort of arena. At the center of the place were several large stone slabs that formed the arena that seemed to extend at least At each corner, there was a pillar with a lightning bolt design. There were also a set of bleachers built on both sides of the arena for spectators to watch. At the other end, there was a large gate that remained shut. The arena had no roof, so they could see the beautiful, blue sky as the clouds rolled by.

"Now this is cool." Dylan commented with awe.

"Welcome to the coliseum." Phil said as he walked up to the arena, then turned to the group. "Alright, so what kinda training do ya need?"

Sora scratched the back of his head. "Well... you see, these guys here-" He paused to gesture to Anne, Chase, Dylan, Aurora, Clair, and Jason. "- are kinda new at this and only been in a few major fights. They could really get some training in here. The same with Kairi and Lea."

Phil crossed his arms. "Oh, I see... couple of newbies, eh? Well, what can they do?"

Riku looked at them, giving a nod. They each summoned their Keyblades to show to Phil, who looked a bit surprised. "Holy Hera, you can use those, too?"

"Yep. Pretty much." Anne replied, rubbing the back of her head as she dismissed her Keyblade.

"Lotta people having those lately..." Phil muttered, shaking his head as he turned to the Enheart brothers. "And what about you?"

Dylan unsheathed his sword, showing it to the satyr. "I fight using this." he explained.

"And you?" Phil asked, looking over at Chase. The teen just grinned before taking off in a blur, speeding around the arena a couple times, causing some dust to fly up before stopping in front of Phil, who blinked and rubbed his eyes, making sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. "Whoa. Okay, then..."

He walked away from them, pondering for a moment.

"You got an idea, Phil?" Donald asked.

Phil snapped his fingers. "Yep. Okay, how about we start with a friendly spar? One of you fighting the other?"

Riku thought about it. "Well, it does sound like a good start. It'll help them understand their teammates' techniques, and it'll improve teamwork in battle." he noted.

"Let's do it." Sora agreed.

Kairi nodded. "So, who's going first?"

The old satyr thought about it, pacing back and forth in front of the group for a moment before eventually pointing at Anne. "You." He then pointed at Dylan. "And you. You're goin' first."

The two blinked in surprise at that. "Unless you're both chicken?" Phil smirked.

"Okay, I guess we're doing this, then." Anne shrugged as she looked at Dylan.

Dylan looked just as surprised. "I guess we are..."

"Everyone else, go find a seat. You can watch the fight from there." Phil told the rest of the group, who headed to the stands to find a seat. He then led Anne and Dylan into the arena, having them stand about ten feet apart from each other.

"Alright, you two. Fight until you think it's done, or until I call the match. Capiche?"

"Got it." the two teens said in unison.

As Phil backed away, Anne looked at Dylan. "No holding back, okay?" she challenged with a smirk as she called her Keyblade to her hand again, getting into a fighting stance.

Dylan smirked back, readying his sword. "Alright then. Let's go."

Once Phil was out of the arena, he called, "Alright, now I've got two words for ya: No dirty tactics!"

"Isn't that three words?" Chase whispered to Clair from where they sat.

"Aaaaand... START!"


	25. Friendly Fights

**I'd like give special thanks to DinoWriter23 for helping me out with writing some of this chapter. You were a big help, Dino.**

* * *

As soon as Phil yelled those words, Anne and Dylan charged at each other with their weapons ready. The two ended up meeting in a sword lock.

Anne and Dylan strained as they tried to push each other back, but eventually jumped away from each other.

Once they landed, they charged once more and tried to land the first blow. Anne swung her Keyblade at Dylan, who leaned to the side to avoid getting hit by it. Dylan then jumped to Anne's left to try and catch her off guard. Anne saw him coming and ducked as he swiped at her.

She then jumped backwards, landing a few feet away. Anne then focused, pointing her Keyblade at Dylan, yelling, "Fire!"

Dylan's eyes widened as he saw the fireball coming straight towards him. He somersaulted out of the way to dodge it, the fireball barely skimming him, but he could feel the heat on his skin as it passed by. He let out a sigh of relief before jumping back up to his feet. The raven haired teen then charged at Anne, who tensed and gripped her Keyblade tightly as she prepared herself.

"Magnet!" Dylan yelled, casting the spell as an orb appeared above Anne. Anne's green eyes widened in surprise as she felt herself get pulled off the ground and towards the orb.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" she yelled as she struggled to dig her feet into the ground, but failed and found herself orbiting around the sphere.

Muttering a quick apology, Dylan leapt up into the air, hitting her with his sword a couple times. Anne grunted upon feeling the sword hit her as she struggled to break free from the Magnet spell.

It was then the spell wore off and Anne fell, landing unceremoniously on the ground. "Ow!" Anne winced, pushing herself back up as she held her arm, seeing a cut on it.

"Sorry!"

"I'm fine!" Anne said, casting Cure on herself. Once her injuries were healed, she charged back at Dylan.

Dylan ran to the side and they ended up circling each other, trying to anticipate what the other would do next. Anne made the first move and threw her Keyblade at Dylan, who dove down to avoid it, but it grazed his arm. He winced upon feeling that, holding his arm as the Keyblade returned to Anne's hand.

The black haired teen shook the pain off and adjusted his grip on his sword before charging at Anne, swinging it at her.

Anne threw her Keyblade up, pressing her hand against the flat end of it to block the blow as she and Dylan clashed.

"Hi." Dylan joked lightly.

Anne managed to crack a smile while straining to push him back. "Hey."

"Who would've thought we'd be doing this, huh?"

"Yeah, fighting in an arena on top of a huge mountain..." Anne dug her feet into the ground while still pushing. "Sounds weird when I say it out loud, doesn't it?"

Dylan chuckled a bit. "Yep, kind of does."

The rest of the group watched from the stands as the two tried to get the upper hand.

"I don't know who I should root for." Chase commented as he watched his brother and best friend spar.

"Can't tell who's gonna win from the way things are going right now." Lea said, leaning back.

Riku crossed his arms. "They're doing a good job, but they'll have to do better than that if either of them want to win this spar."

Anne finally managed to push Dylan back, but he leapt away from her as his curved sword started to crackle with electricity. Anne paled upon noticing that as she attempted to get out of the way.

"Thunder!"

A bolt of lightning shot down and hit Anne, literally shocking her. "YEOW!"

She stumbled from the attack, trying to regain her balance as she twitched a bit, hissing from the lightning as she shook her head. "Okay, that's it!"

The brown haired girl charged straight towards Dylan, catching him off guard as she hit him a few times with her Keyblade. Dylan grunted in pain from the hits.

"Yeah! Get him, Annie! Come on, Dyl! Fight back!" Chase called.

"Whose side are you on?!" the two yelled at him, earning a sheepish grin from Chase as he shrugged.

Anne turned her attention back to the fight and shot a Blizzard spell at Dylan, encasing him in a block of ice. Dylan was unable to fight back as Anne hit him with her Keyblade a couple more times.

The ice shattered upon being hit and Dylan managed to break free, but was shivering as he could still feel the cold ice on his skin. "Cure!" he yelled, using the healing spell on himself. Anne darted towards Dylan and swung at him again. Dylan had to bend back to avoid it this time, nearly falling over in the process, but regaining his balance once he dodged it.

Chase whooped. "Come on, Anne! You've got this!"

Dylan then delivered a blow with his sword after catching Anne off guard. Anne ended up landing on her back from it, but quickly rolled out of the way as she saw Dylan charging again, then kicked his feet out from under him. She scrambled up to her feet as she got ready to attack again, gripping her Keyblade with both hands. Dylan saw her and threw his sword out in front of him, blocking the blow just before it hit her.

He managed to push Anne back, throwing her off her balance as he jumped up and swung at her again. Anne barely managed to avoid the sword as it nearly cut her cheek, but as soon as the sword passed her, she delivered a slash upwards, hitting his weapon and knocking it out of his hand.

Dylan's eyes widened as his sword clattered on the ground several feet away from him. It was then he knew that he lost the spar.

Upon seeing this, Phil clapped his hands loudly. "Game, set, match! Anne wins!"

"Alright!" Kairi cheered, pumping her fist in the air. Chase grinned seeing she had won.

Anne panted as she let her Keyblade hang at her side, feeling a bit exhausted. "Not bad, Dyl..." she told him. "Not bad at all..."

"Not bad yourself..." Dylan replied, also feeling a little exhausted as he picked his sword up, putting it back in its sheath. Anne then cast Cure on herself, feeling her energy come back. Dylan did the same as Phil walked into the arena.

"Alright, you two, let someone else have a turn." he told them, ushering them over to the stands.

Sora smiled as he saw them approach. "Nice job out there, you guys."

"Thanks..." Anne nodded as she sat down, dismissing her Keyblade.

"With a little more practice, you'll do even better." Riku told the two as he handed them some water that Phil had set out for them.

Dylan looked over at Anne from where he sat. "I'll win next time." he smiled.

Anne rose an amused eyebrow, giving her friend a smile. "Are you challenging me?"

"Maybe."

A chuckle escaped her lips. "You're so on." she joked.

* * *

Phil approached the stands again, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the crowd in front of him. "Okay, time for the next round!" he announced, gazing at the group, trying to decide who to have each other fight next.

He then pointed at Chase and Clair, much to their surprise. "You two, front and center!"

Chase scrambled out of his seat, nearly tripping as Clair got up. Clair swallowed, taking a deep breath before they followed Phil onto the arena, facing each other.

"I've got two words of advice." Phil said. "Fight fairly here!"

The two exchanged a look at the miscount of words, but shook it off as Phil backed away.

"I'll go easy on you." Chase said to Clair.

The mage in training shook her head. "I appreciate it, but please don't hold back."

Chase shrugged, getting ready to fight. "If you say so."

"BEGIN!" Phil yelled once he was out of the arena.

Chase was gone in a flash at that. Clair looked around, summoning her Keyblade as she tried to figure out where he was. However, she was quickly knocked to the ground.

"Oof!" she grunted, pushing herself back up. She could see a dust cloud where Chase once was as he sped.

"Fire!" A fireball emerged from her Keyblade. She tried to fire it to hit Chase, but ended up missing him. Chase sped by her, knocking her down again. Clair stumbled up to her feet, seeing Chase vanish in a blur once more.

Frowning, Clair realized she needed to even the playing field. But how? She searched her mind for the spells, and then thought of one. Pointing her Keyblade at the field, she spoke the spell. "Freeze!" A spot on the field froze from the spell, but she wasn't done. Picturing the field freezing in her mind, the mage-in-training cast the spell again and again, trying to freeze up as much of the field as she could.

"Wow, now that's pretty smart." Sora remarked from where he sat, watching the spar eagerly.

"Kinda wish I brought some popcorn for this." Lea quipped.

Now most of the floor had been covered in ice. Chase, who was still zipping around, ended up slipping. He stopped running as he tried to keep his balance. "Whoa!"

He also ended up running in place while trying not to slip. It was kind of comedic to watch.

Anne and Dylan snickered at his little predicament from the stands. Dylan wished he had a camera at the moment.

Clair smirked. "Now I've gotcha."

Chase looked around, and saw he was next to a pillar. That gave him an idea. Chase grabbed onto the pillar, then pushed off of it. He used it as a means to give his speed a jump start by sliding across the ice towards Clair. "Whoo hoo!"

Clair's eyes widened as she saw him sliding towards her. She tried to get out of the way, but slipped on the ice. Thanks to her losing her balance, Chase was able to knock Clair back.

She lost her grip on her Keyblade as he did so. Clair grunted as she landed on her back, then tried to get her Keyblade. However, Chase managed to kick it away before she could grab it as it spun around on the icy floor that they were on.

"Looks like I got the upper hand." Chase joked.

Clair pushed herself back to her feet, but slipped again. She landed on her side with a grunt. "Whoa!"

"Guess your spell backfired." Chase remarked casually from where he stood.

"Yeah... yeah, I guess it did." Clair admitted as she tried to sit up. When she slipped again, she grunted in frustration. "Fire!" She began melting the field.

Chase yelped, leaping away from some of the flames as the ice turned into water.

Clair ran to grab her Keyblade, but Chase beat her to it with his speed, kicking it further away from her. "Uh-uh. No toys allowed."

She then took a step back as Chase tried to figure out what her next move would be. The mage-in-training tried to think of something. Maybe... maybe if she could knock him back while charging... but how?

She remembered a spell that Kairi had used back in the Hidden Leaf Village... it looked like it formed a sort of barrier in front of her when they were fighting that swarm of Shadows.

Clair's eyes widened as she got an idea, but tried to figure out how to use the spell.

It was then she could see Chase coming towards her. Quickly, she tried thinking about safety, what made her feel protected...

She threw out her hand. "Protect!"

To her surprise, it worked as a sort of barrier made out of hexagons appeared in front of her. Unfortunately for Chase, he ran right into it, bouncing off the barrier like a ball ricocheting off a wall.

"Ow! My nose!" he groaned, holding his face as he stumbled.

While he was distracted, Clair used this opportunity to run towards her Keyblade. This time, she managed to snatch it up. "Finally!"

Chase pulled his hands away from his face and his eyes widened seeing Clair had her Keyblade back in her hand. "Uh oh!" he said before running off. Clair prepared herself for when Chase would try to attack next. She could see another blur and as fast as she could, held her Keyblade out in front of her to block.

However, she couldn't keep up with Chase as he sped towards her, knocking her back and making her stumble. She tried to swipe at him, but he dashed off before she could even hit him.

Chase then slowed down, shouting, "Thunder!"

Clair's eyes widened as she jumped to avoid the lightning bolt that hit the ground. She then ran towards Chase, raising her Keyblade as she did. But Chase saw her coming and dodged as she swung at him, then tripped her. Clair gasped and nearly fell on her stomach, but managed to trip Chase in retaliation.

He landed flat on his face from that. Both of them quickly got to their feet before Chase started running circles around Clair, kicking up dust as he did. Clair began casting spells to try and stop him.

"Fire! Freeze! Thunder!"

Chase used his speed to avoid them, but ended up getting hit by the Thunder. "YYYYYYEEEEEEOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!"

Kairi, Anne, and Dylan cringed seeing that. "Ooh... that's gonna sting..." Anne muttered.

Chase stumbled, twitching a bit. His hair was sticking all over the place now as static crackled in it. "Talk about a wake up shock..." Chase groaned as he tried to shake it off. Clair could herself starting to tire out.

"Alright... let's go..." Chase said as he managed to recover as Clair adjusted her grip on her Keyblade. She swung her weapon, but Chase avoided it and dashed behind Clair, knocking her off her feet with a sweep at the legs.

"Gah!" She cried as she fell over. Clair tried to push herself up, but her strength was gone. She had used up her magic.

Chase noticed she seemed exhausted. "Looks like I won..."

"Yeah..." Clair conceded defeat.

"Chase wins this round!" Phil declared loudly, calling the match.

"Hey, way to go!" Sora cheered as he and Kairi clapped for them.

Chase knelt down, holding his hand out to Clair. She accepted it, letting him help her up.

"That was a pretty good match." Chase told her.

Clair nodded. "It was..." she agreed, then cast Cure on Chase, healing him of the damage done by the Thunder spell. The two of them then returned to the rest of their friends.

"Not bad, Chase." Dylan complimented as he took another sip of water.

"Thanks, bro."

Anne nodded. "Yeah, both of you were pretty good out there."

Clair smiled at that, accepting some water that was offered to her. Kairi handed her something as well. "Here, use this. It's an elixir. It'll help restore your magic faster." the red head told her. Clair accepted it, taking a sip of it to test it out before drinking more. She could feel her strength returning to her.

"Thanks." she told her gratefully. Kairi smiled in reply before they turned back to the arena, ready to find out who was up next.

* * *

"Alright, time for the next match!" Phil yelled. The satyr looked at the group before eventually picking who to have fight next. "You." He pointed at Jason, then Aurora. "You, too! Come out here!"

The two headed out into the arena at that. They both exchanged a frown as they did.

"Now, no dirty moves. GO!" Phil scrambled out of the arena as fast as he could.

Jason rushed at Aurora with his Keyblade in hand. However, Aurora leapt over him. She landed behind Jason and attacked him, kicking him hard in the back.

He grunted as he was sent staggering forward, then growled as he whirled around and swiped at her with his Keyblade, but she avoided it.

Clair sighed. "Worst. Matchup. Ever."

"Why's that?" Chase asked as he took a seat next to her.

"They hate each other." Clair explained. "As long as I have known them, they've done nothing but fight with each other."

"Ohhh..." Chase realized, paling as he turned back to the fight. "This isn't gonna be pretty."

Jason managed to land a blow on Aurora. The teenage girl grunted as she stumbled back from the blow. She wasn't going to lose to Jason. Not now. Not ever.

With a yell, she swung her Keyblade at him. He leaned to the side to avoid it, then swung his Keyblade at her. Aurora barely managed to dodge it, jumping to the side. She then swung her Keyblade again in retaliation.

She managed to hit him in the arm. He grunted in pain, glaring at her.

The friends in the stand could feel the intensity of the two's extreme dislike for each other. Anne even scooted a few seats up due to it. She didn't know why, but she could sense that these two needed to resolve their issues, and fast.

Goofy took his hat off, wringing it nervously.

Jason and Aurora ran at each other, Keyblades clashing against one another. Both of them were glaring as they did.

Then, Jason pulled a low move, punching Aurora in the kidney, much to the surprise of some of the others. She grunted as she hunched over, holding the area where she got punched.

"Hey! No dirty moves!" Phil yelled from the stands with a frown.

Jason glared at him before Aurora responded with a low move of her own, kicking him from behind the knee, forcing him down.

"Hey! What did I just tell you?!"

Jason growled as he pushed himself back up before swinging at her with his Keyblade again. She parried the blow, but both were now furious. Jason raised his Keyblade above his head to bring it down, but she jumped out of the way. She then did a spinning kick attack to drop Jason. He ended up landing flat on his back from that. She was then over him, holding her Keyblade at his throat.

"You done yet?" she asked.

He frowned in response. His instincts told him he had been beaten yet again. And he hated it. "...Yes."

Aurora pulled her Keyblade away from his neck with a frown, then kicked him across the face.

"Whoa, hey, hey!" Phil ran onto the arena upon seeing that.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. The two began to attack each other. Jason yelled furiously as he leapt up, lunging at her with his Keyblade. Aurora blocked him with his Keyblade before kicking him in the worst place a guy could get hurt.

"Stop it! Stop it now!" Phil ordered as he ran over to them.

Jason groaned in pain as he hunched over, falling on his side. Aurora then knocked him back with her Keyblade.

Clair leapt off the stand to help. She had seen some bad fights between these two, and knew they were capable of putting each other in the hospital. Riku charged in to help as well while Jason painfully pushed himself back onto his feet.

Clair got between the two of them. "Stop it!"

Aurora only knocked her to the side. "Stay out of this, savage."

Clair gasped at that and Jason looked even more enraged.

"Break it up!" Riku yelled as he ran to them.

"How dare you?!" Jason roared at Aurora.

She glared coldly at him. "Compared with the fact that you two are family, I consider it a compliment."

He tried to run forward, only for Riku to grab him. "Knock it off!" The Keyblade Master ordered. Jason's response was to use his head to bash Riku in the nose. Riku stumbled back, holding his throbbing nose as Jason charged past him.

Now Sora and Anne were running out of the stands to try and break up the fight. "Quit it!"

The satyr was barking orders, but Aurora just kicked him to the side as she and Jason collided. Keyblades forgotten, the two rolled in the arena, punching at each other and trying to hurt the other as much as they could. Bruises were starting to form on them now.

Chase darted out onto the arena to help, zipping over as he grabbed Jason. "Knock it off, dude! You too, Aurora!"

Aurora punched him away before socking Jason right in the face. Spitting, Jason did an uppercut to her chin. Aurora recoiled from that, stumbling back. Anne got in front of her, trying to keep them from making another move. "Both of you chill out!" she exclaimed, only to be shoved aside rough enough to make her fall to the ground. Aurora then ran at him, doing a kick to his face. Jason was knocked backwards, landing flat on his back.

Aurora then grabbed his head, slamming it into the ground again and again.

"Stop it now before-" Whatever Phil was going to say was cut off by a clap of thunder. "Now you've done it!"

 **"ENOUGH!"** A voice thundered across the arena. The ground seemed to shake beneath them.

Everyone, even Jason and Aurora, froze hearing the voice.

Anne's eyes widened as she looked around, stepping away from the two. "W-What was that?!"

"The Big Man himself!" Phil told her. "The Ruler of Olympus, the King of the Gods! Zeus!"

"Uh oh..." Sora muttered, his blue eyes widening as he took a couple steps back.

Some clouds gathered, and from the midst of them came a bearded man in a purple toga. He carried a lightning bolt in one hand, and looked very cross. Before them stood Zeus himself. "Who dares to desecrate this coliseum?!" The King of the Gods demanded.

They stared up at him with shock. Lea's jaw even dropped at the sight. Aurora kept Jason pinned down while staring at the man. Chase then comically pointed at the two of them, edging away from them just in case.

Zeus frowned at the two. "This coliseum was built so the gods can watch future heroes train, not for children to throw tantrums!" he told them. "I have half a mind to blow you off my mountain."

Jason tried to push himself back up, but Aurora kept him down.

"BOTH OF YOU! ENOUGH!" Zeus yelled once more, his voice booming throughout the area. She actually got off of Jason at that. Jason scrambled up to his feet, holding his head from where it had been slammed into the ground.

Anne could feel her knees shaking together, almost like back when they were making their way up Mount Olympus. She was standing in the presence of a god. A very angry god. She felt like she was about to faint.

"Whoa..." Sora said with awe, but also a little nervous.

"You two are unfit to be heroes." Zeus told Jason and Aurora. The two of them were silent. "You are supposed to be working together! Now, leave the coliseum and don't come back until you learn to cooperate." Zeus passed judgement on them. "If you're not back down with the rest of the mortals in an hour, I'll throw you down myself! Now!"

Reluctantly, Jason and Aurora started to leave the arena.

Their teammates watched them go. Clair looked down, rubbing her arm. Riku healed his bruised nose before looking at the god. "We are very sorry for their behavior."

Zeus looked at them. He then noticed Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "You must be the ones my son talked about." he said, slowly calming down.

Anne glanced at the trio. "Huh?"

"Wait, you mean Hercules?!" Sora's eyes widened in realization. Zeus nodded, his cross expression fading.

"You're his father?!" Donald asked.

"Gawrsh!" Goofy gasped.

"Hercules has told me so much about you." Zeus said. Sora sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

Chase scratched his head. Was this the same god? He seemed much friendlier now than he had been a few minutes ago. He then spoke up, asking sheepishly, "Um, Zeus? You're not, uh, gonna zap us, are ya?"

The thunder god shook his head. "No."

The speedy teen let out a sigh of relief. Zeus then looked in the direction Jason and Aurora left in. "I hope you'll be able to talk some sense into those two."

"Believe me, it would take a miracle to get those two to cooperate." Clair said.

"Did it ever get this bad?" Dylan asked her, earning a nod.

Zeus sighed. "Well, those two will need to cooperate."

"Why do they hate each other?" Anne asked.

Clair shrugged. "I have no idea. They've been like that for as long as I can remember."

Anne shook her head. "Crazy."

"We'll try to get them to work together, Zeus." Sora told the ruler of Olympus.

The deity nodded in approval. "I know that the Heartless are back." he then added. "They've been coming in legions to the sides of Mount Olympus."

"We'll take care of them." Sora promised.

Zeus nodded once more. "I wish you good luck, wielders of the Keyblade." he said before some clouds gathered around him, and when they had vanished, he was gone.

Philoctetes let out a sigh, rubbing his face. "Hasn't gotten this bad in a long time..." he muttered, shaking his head.

Sora crouched down to his level. "We're sorry about what happened, Phil..." he apologized. The spiky haired teen was still shocked by the events that had happened.

"You've gotta get those two under control." Phil told him. "If those two keep at it, they definitely won't last five seconds when dealing with larger monsters."

"We've been trying, but it's kind of hard to get through to them."

"I've seen ya beat the odds when facin' Hades. I'm sure you got this." the satyr said to him as he started setting things up. "Now, think you can help me out with this? I gotta clean this mess up."

* * *

After Zeus had left, Chase went to talk to Clair while some of the group was helping Phil move some training items around. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked quietly.

She looked at him. "A little..." she replied. "It's just..."

Clair sat down on a bench. "It's about what happened earlier while Jason and Aurora were fighting..."

"What?" Chase asked.

"You remember when I tried to stop them?"

Chase nodded.

"Aurora... called me something foul."

"Savage?"

The look she gave him sent shivers down his spine. He gulped. "Sorry, sorry!" he quickly apologized, holding his hands up in surrender while praying she wouldn't hit him.

"I don't know what it means where you're from, but on Harthyn it's the worst kind of insult anyone can receive." She explained.

"How bad?"

"Profanity would be considered a compliment compared to it."

"Oh... yikes." Chase said with surprise as he sat down next to her.

Clair wasn't done. "When someone is called that, the user is saying they don't see anything human about the person. They don't even regard them as a living soul. That word was used to write people off as target practice, as vermin that needed to be exterminated. It traces back to history, when removing certain groups from society was considered community service instead of murder."

Chase's eyes widened in shock at what he had heard. "Oh man..."

"Now you know." Clair said, looking down.

Chase placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him when he did that. "Do you... think that she meant it when she said it?" Chase asked.

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Maybe you should talk to her sometime..." Chase suggested gently, keeping his hand on her shoulder.

"She's not a talker."

"Well, maybe you two can work it out somehow." the brown haired teen told her, removing his hand as he got back up. "You'll be okay?"

Clair looked up at him. "I think so..."

Chase nodded, giving her a reassuring smile before heading back to the others.

* * *

In the shadows, two small figures had been observing the Keybladers. One was stout, pink, and had tiny purple wings on its back and a pair of small horns while the other was bluish-green, skinny, and had longer horns than the other. They, too, had a pair of wings on their back.

"That kid with the Keyblade is back?!" the skinny one whispered with surprise.

"Looks like there's more of 'em this time." the stout one observed.

The skinny one bit his claws nervously. "Ohhh, Hades isn't gonna be happy about this..."

As quickly as they could, the two creatures scurried away, hoping that no one, especially Zeus, had spotted them there.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jason was stumbling out of the doors that led into the coliseum and sat down on the steps in the courtyard. He now had bruises on his face from the fight, as well as some blood coming from his mouth from where he was punched. However, he ignored the throbbing coming from his injuries.

He couldn't believe what had happened back there. Aurora had beaten him again this time... how could he have lost?

Jason clenched his fist, slamming it into the ground. He hated it... he hated it when he knew he had lost a fight.

And what Aurora said back there... that just crossed the line.

She had used _that_ word on his cousin. She had gone way too far there. He wanted to get back at her, not because he had lost, but because of what she had called Clair. But how? He could see charging head on wasn't the answer.

He looked down at the ground. He was probably going to have to outthink her. Be faster than her next time.

"But how can I get faster when I'm not allowed to train in the stupid arena?" He asked himself.

"Perhaps I can be of help." A voice said. Jason looked up, seeing a buff man with red hair wearing a brown warrior outfit with dark brown wristbands and a pair of sandals. He also wore a red headband around his forehead and had a light blue cape.

"Who are you?" Jason got into a fighting stance. "You picked the wrong day to get on my bad side."

"Hey, hey, calm down." the man said gently. "Something wrong, kid? You look like you've been through a rough day."

Jason's expression made it clear he didn't trust this guy.

"Okay, then, not a talker..." the man said awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.

"I find actions speak louder than words." Jason said.

"Okay, if you don't want to talk, then I'll leave you be." the man said, taking a step back.

Curiosity got the better of Jason. He looked at the man with a frown. "Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Hercules." the man said as he started to walk past him, up the steps.

"And what did you mean by help me?"

"Well, what did you do to get yourself kicked out of the arena in the first place?"

"Hmph." Jason muttered, looking back down. "I was fighting with someone who thinks she's high and mighty and then we got thrown out by some dress-wearing guy called Zeus."

"So you've managed to set my dad off, huh?" the man remarked.

That caused Jason to do a double take. "You're that guy's son?"

"Yep, that's me." Hercules nodded casually.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat you to a pulp." the teen growled, tensing up.

"Well... one, I'm pretty strong and two, I'm a demigod." Hercules listed, counting them off on his fingers. "So if you'd try to fight me now, you'd probably be sent flying off the side of the mountain."

Judging from the muscles, Jason had a feeling he would not win this fight. Jason clenched his fists before slowly relaxing, although reluctantly. "Yeah. Even I can see I'm not in your league." he admitted.

Hercules nodded. "Good choice."

Jason looked down the stairs. Hercules then walked by him. "Why would you fight this person?" he asked, referring to Aurora.

"It varies." Jason muttered. "Right now, it's because she called someone a foul word. And I couldn't let that slide. She's crossed a line. Where we're from, that's the worst insult one can call someone."

Hercules understood. "I see..." he said, looking deep in thought.

"So when we started fighting, your dad told us to leave. In the end, it's another victory for her. She won. Again." Jason scoffed, sitting back down.

"Winning isn't just about beating your opponent." Hercules told him.

Jason looked at the demigod upon hearing that. "What do you mean?" he asked, not getting what Hercules was saying.

"Being a hero is more than muscles. It's about heart."

The teen paused upon hearing that, thinking about the words the demigod had just spoken.

"I can help you." Hercules then told him.

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Well, you wanted to train, didn't you? I can train you for a little bit. I got some free time on my hands."

Jason sighed. "Guess I don't have anything to lose."

"Great. I know a spot near the bottom of Olympus. I'll be back. Just need to go talk to someone first." Hercules said as he walked into the coliseum, leaving the teen standing outside the doors.

Jason sat down. He didn't worry, but he hoped he was making the right choice.

* * *

Far below back on the ground, a man with gray skin wearing a black and dark gray toga was watching Mount Olympus. His nose was rather crooked and he had yellow eyes, but what was most notable about him was that he had blue flames for hair. He was Hades, God of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead, and rival to Hercules.

He noticed thunderclouds forming around the tall mountain. "Yowza, looks like Zeus-y got ticked off. And it wasn't by me this time." he remarked to himself.

It was then he could sense a familiar darkness behind him, making him groan upon recognizing it. "Oh, not _them_ again..." he muttered as he turned around, seeing a Corridor of Darkness open.

"Hey, now that ain't a way to say hello to your old pallies." Pete smirked as he and Maleficent stepped out of the portal.

Hades rolled his eyes. "Well, that's funny, cause I don't remember owing you any favors, and clearly, you didn't do me any when I was trying to get rid of Herc and that Sora kid. Now, toodle-oo, the exit's that way. Sayonara. I've got things to do." Hades tried to shoo his old 'allies' away, clearly not wanting to deal with either of them at the moment.

Maleficent narrowed her eyes. "All I need is some information, Hades. That is all."

"And if I don't tell you?" Hades challenged, crossing his arms.

He got his answer as green flames appeared around Maleficent. "Do you really want to find out?" she threatened him.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Hades held his hands out.

"Smart choice." The flames died down before vanishing. "Now, is there a distinctive black box in this world? Any one at all."

Hades rose an eyebrow at that question. "A black box, huh?" The god paused to think about it. "Hmm, well you could be talkin' about any old box. What would you want with it anyway?"

"That is none of your concern." Maleficent retorted. Hades frowned, a bit annoyed from her not giving him a straight answer.

"Well... now that I think of it... I did hear rumors of some kinda box in a secluded area. Didn't hear of it being around in the Underworld, though."

"A secluded area... very well." Maleficent said after a moment, then turned back to the portal. "Come now, Pete. We must keep searching."

"Well, thanks for your help." Pete sarcastically told Hades before turning on his heel and following the evil fairy back into the Corridor of Darkness, leaving the god of the Underworld standing in the grassy area frowning.

"Great. Now I have the fat cat and the witch on my back." he said to himself with annoyance.

A moment later, he heard a grunt, as well as some thuds. He narrowed his eyes, turning around and seeing that his minions, Pain and Panic, had been scrambling towards him, but tripped on their own two feet and landing in a dogpile in front of him.

Quickly, Panic scurried to his feet. "Hades! Hades!"

"What is it, now? Can't you see I'm not in the mood?" Hades frowned.

Pain grinned nervously. "Uh, well, you know how you told us to sneak into the coliseum and see what Hercules was up to? Well, we didn't see Hercules, but..."

A few moments later, there was a roar of fire that blazed up, followed by a furious cry of "WHAAAAAAAT?!"

* * *

By this time, the arena had been cleaned up with some jars set here and there for training.

"There we go!" Phil remarked, dusting his hands off as he turned back to the team. "Thanks, guys. Now this training course'll be ready for anyone who wants to give it a try. Anyone that won't go nuts on each other, that is."

"We're awfully sorry about them..." Goofy told the satyr.

"Ah, water under the bridge." Philoctetes waved it off. "But you guys oughta make sure those two don't cause another ruckus up here again if they come back to the coliseum. Otherwise, Mr. Lightning Bolts probably _will_ blow 'em off the mountain."

Dylan imagined the scenario and shivered lightly. "We'll, uh, keep that in mind."

It was then they heard footsteps as a man approached them. "Hey, Phil, sorry I'm late. I had a date with Meg..."

Phil crossed his arms. "Next time, how's about givin' me a heads up?"

Sora turned and his eyes lit up seeing his friend Hercules. "Heya, Herc!"

The demigod looked a bit surprised upon seeing him, but a broad smile appeared on his face. "Sora! Donald! Goofy! How are you guys doing?" he asked cheerfully as he and Sora shook hands.

"Fighting bad guys and Heartless." Donald smirked, crossing his arms. "How about you?"

"Doing the usual thing; training with Phil, participating in tournaments, keeping an eye on Hades..."

"Is Meg doin' okay, too?" Goofy asked, remembering the woman they had befriended during their first visit to the Underworld.

"Oh yeah, she's doing great!"

"Do you know that the Heartless are back...?" Sora then asked.

Herc's smile faded as he sighed. "Yeah... they've been showing up around Mount Olympus, but none in the city, so far... I did have to face a couple of them a few times."

As Herc conversed with the three, Chase gawked at how strong the man looked. He looked like he could lift an elephant with those muscles!

"You must be Hercules." Kairi smiled politely. "Sora mentioned you on the way here."

"Hello, there, miss. And you are?"

"My name's Kairi. This is Riku, Lea, Chase, Dylan, Clair, and Anne." the redheaded teen introduced as each of the team members either gave a wave or nod in greeting.

"Are they your friends you were looking for?" Hercules asked, looking back at Sora.

"Riku and Kairi were. The other five are new friends that joined us. There are a couple others, but they kind of... had to leave the arena." Sora scratched his head, then asked, "By the way, have you seen anyone named Jason or Aurora leave the coliseum?"

The man paused, trying to remember if he had heard of those names before. "Well, I did see a kid looking beat up sulking on the steps. He did look pretty mad about something."

"That would be Jason." Clair confirmed.

"As for Aurora, I'm guessing that she was the girl in the lobby that looked like she had been through a rough fight?" Hercules asked, earning a nod from Clair. "Heard that my father kicked Jason and someone else out of the arena."

"Things got a little... out of hand." Anne said, trying to find another way to phrase it.

"That's one way of putting it." Chase commented, paling as he remembered the fight from not long ago. It was probably best that Jason and Aurora weren't in each other's sights right now, otherwise things would probably get worse.

"I did talk to him for a bit, though. He apparently still wanted to train, so I told him I'd train with him for a bit." Hercules then told the team, taking a few of them by surprise.

"If you're going to train with Jason... you'll need to know he's a bit of a hardhead." Clair warned, knowing how her cousin was.

"I think I can handle that." Hercules assured with a smile.

Riku let out a sigh. He knew that Jason would probably need some time to cool off. "Well... if you're gonna do that, then you should probably stick close by."

Herc nodded. "You got it." he replied as he turned on his heel and left, vanishing into the hall.

"Kid, wait, what about the- ah, forget it!" Philoctetes groaned, seeing that the hero was now too far to hear him.

"Well, guys, it looks like we'll be able to get some more training in for a bit longer." Sora then told his teammates.

This made Phil smirk with approval as he had a gleam in his eye. "Good! Cause I got some training courses in mind for the new guys..."


	26. Listen to Your Heart

**My last year of high school has started, so updates might be a bit slower. Also, special thanks to DinoWriter23 for helping me out with this chapter.**

* * *

"Alright, chumps! Get ready!" the satyr called as he stood atop of a short wall that had been placed in the arena. He had a couple rows of vases with him. Anne, Sora, Lea, and Kairi stood at the bottom with their Keyblades ready. After Hercules left the arena, Phil had chosen them for this round of training and threw Sora into the mix, since he knew how this kind of training worked.

Clair, Chase, Dylan, Riku, Donald, and Goofy were off to the side watching.

"Bring it on, Phil!" Sora grinned.

"Oh, so we're chumps, huh?" Lea smirked, ready to prove the old trainer wrong.

Sora then glanced over at Kairi. "You ready for this?"

Kairi just shot him a determined smile. "You bet, Sora."

"So we just have to smash the vases while they're being tossed at us. Can't be that hard, can it?" Anne remarked.

Philoctetes just smirked as he hoisted one over his head. "CATCH!" he warned before chucking it straight towards them.

As the vase was hurled towards them, Sora was the first to react, smashing it with his Keyblade. Followed by that, Phil tossed another one at them shortly before throwing yet another.

A fireball erupted from Lea's Keyblade and incinerated one of the vases.

"Show off!" Sora called to him, which just earned a smirk from the pyro.

Anne managed to smash the other one with a swing of her gray and black Keyblade. The pieces of pottery clattered onto the floor beneath them as Phil took them by surprise by throwing another vase without warning.

"Hey! Whoa! Whoa!" Anne cried out as the vase came flying towards her. However, Kairi managed to hit it with her Keyblade. The brown haired girl sighed with relief as she glanced over at Kairi. "Thanks!"

"No problem." Kairi quickly replied as another came their way.

Lea quickly broke that one with a swing from his weapon. Two more were tossed at them. Sora leapt up, hitting one before it could hit Lea on the head and shattering it. The other one managed to hit Anne, though. She let out a cry of pain as it hit her back, cracking apart as it did. She winced as she held her back, but shook it off.

"Come on, is that all you got?!" Phil called to the four. Anne just shot a glare at him.

When Phil threw another at her, Anne jumped up and slammed her Keyblade right into the vase, breaking it as the pieces that remained of it fell onto the floor. She let out a sigh. That sort of felt good.

Kairi focused, shooting a Blizzard spell at another that Phil had chucked and froze it. It shattered to pieces upon hitting the floor.

"Heads up!" Phil kicked one off the edge towards the group of four before grabbing the last two vases left. Sora broke the one Phil kicked while the rest got ready for the last two. Kairi did a spin as one of the pieces of pottery came towards her, holding her Keyblade out as she did. Her flowery Keyblade destroyed the vase as soon as it made contact with it.

The last one came at Anne, but a fireball destroyed it before Anne could even react. And it was obvious who cast it.

Lea smirked, snuffing out the last bit of flames left in his hand. "Thank you, thank you."

Anne let out a sigh. "Thanks..." she told the pyro.

"Next time, try to be quicker, alright?" he advised.

Phil watched on, satisfied with how the training had turned out. "Not bad, not bad at all. But the new guys could still use a bit more training." He started climbing down. "Now, help me get this cleaned up."

Anne did a double take at that. "WHAT?!"

* * *

Eventually, they had managed to clean up the whole mess of broken pieces of pottery. Anne sat down, sighing. "Finally... Who knew hero work involved cleaning up?"

"Day in the life of a hero, I guess." Kairi commented as she took a seat herself.

Phil then approached Chase. "Okay, Speedy! I want you to run ten laps around this arena!"

Chase grinned, leaping to his feet. "Piece of cake!"

"With these two weights strapped to your back!" Phil added, holding up a bag that carried a couple weights in it.

"... huh?"

Anne smirked lightly. "This is going to be fun."

"Oh yeah." Lea agreed, resting his chin on his fist from where he sat.

Phil shoved the bag into his arms, making Chase stumble from how heavy it was. "Uh, isn't this a little over the top?"

"Come on, move it! Move, move, move, move!" Phil yelled at him.

"Can't be that hard, can it?" Dylan called to his brother, echoing what Anne had said earlier.

Chase let out a groan before he strapped the bag onto his back, nearly stumbling from the weight before beginning to run. He wasn't going as fast as they were used to seeing him go, thanks to the weights in the bag. It was like he was going at half speed, but sort of at a fast pace.

"Come on! Faster!" Phil called out to him.

Chase pouted before attempting to pick up the pace, though the weights in the bag certainly weren't helping at all. "This is so not cool!" he managed to get out, having managed to run one lap. Now there was nine more to go.

"Keep it up!" Phil shouted. As Chase continued to run, the group observed him from the stands. His face was getting covered in sweat, now.

"You got this, Chase!" Dylan called to his brother to try and encourage him.

"Yeah, you can do this!" Anne cheered.

"Don't give up!" Clair added.

Upon hearing them cheer him on, Chase managed to give a smile before he attempted to pick the pace up a bit. Phil was still coaching him on. By this time, Chase had managed to complete four laps, leaving only six more left to go.

Chase couldn't believe that he was going through this kind of training. His back was starting to hurt from the weights and he felt like he was about to fall on his face at any moment.

By the time he had finally managed to run the ten laps, he threw the bag off of him and practically flopped onto his stomach.

Clair ran over to Chase and knelt down to check on him. "Are you okay?"

Chase pushed himself up with his elbow, panting and sweating. "That... sucked... I felt like I was carrying a bag of bricks!"

Clair helped him up, handing him a cup of water. Chase practically gulped the whole cup down as she helped him back to the stands.

"I'm taking ten." he said, wiping some sweat off his forehead.

"Yeah, you probably should..." Anne agreed, seeing that he really needed to take a break. He then collapsed on a seat.

"Do you think Aurora left the coliseum?" Sora then asked.

Clair shrugged. "Probably. She likes to be alone." she replied, but glanced at the hallway that she had last seen Aurora and Jason head out of. Maybe she should take Chase's advice...

* * *

Meanwhile in the lobby, Aurora was sitting on a bench deep in thought. She had a couple bruises left from the fight, but the pain had died down now.

Who's sick joke was it for her to be stuck with Jason while they were out here?

All these years, she had to endure being in the same building as that punk. Now she was being told to work with him.

She couldn't believe it. She then punched the wall. She'd sooner throw herself off the mountain than do that. She ignored the slight pain in her fist from that.

Standing up, she headed out. If she wasn't allowed here unless she started working with that idiot, then this wasn't the place for her.

"Aurora?"

She paused as she turned, seeing Clair come through the doorway.

"What do you want?"

Clair hesitated. "Well... it's about earlier."

Aurora scoffed at that. "Why? Defending that hardhead?"

Clair was taken back at that, but corrected herself. "Neither of you were being very mature out there."

Aurora crossed her arms, keeping silent.

"What were you thinking, smashing his face into the floor? You could've killed him!" Clair went on. "Who knows what damage you might have done to his brain?"

"None. Because he doesn't have one." Aurora scoffed.

"However you feel about my cousin doesn't give you the right to be heartless to him." the mage in training growled. "There is a lot going on here that is bigger than your stupid feud with him, so shape up or so help me I will put a spell on you."

The older teen glared at her before kicking her in the stomach. "You're no fighter. Never was, never will be." She headed for the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She then stepped out the doors and left the coliseum.

Clair gasped, groaning as she held her stomach, using the wall as support. Anger swelled up insider her, and she started to call the words of a spell, but then stopped herself. She shook her head. It wasn't worth it...

Turning on her heel, she headed back into the arena where the rest of the team was.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jason had left the coliseum and followed Hercules down the mountain, arriving at a grassy area with a few olive trees surrounding it, as well as a couple statues here and there like the ones he saw when they first went up the hill.

"Here we are." Hercules announced.

Jason looked at the trees and statues. A few of the statues depicted warriors carrying shields or spears. A couple looked like people in togas. "This is your special training place?"

"I like to come here every now and then to train a bit when I have the time, so yeah, pretty much."

Jason wasn't sure what to think. He had been expecting some heavy equipment, or a track, or something. Compared to the coliseum, it felt like nothing was here.

Hercules seemed to notice his look. "It's not much, but it works." he shrugged.

"How?"

"Well, I can concentrate here when I'm practicing... plus the nature is pretty nice to watch." Hercules remarked.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I was born and raised a city kid." Jason said.

Hercules chuckled at that. "I was raised in the countryside, so I kind of see what you're getting at."

He then handed him a bottle of green liquid. "Here. It's a potion. It helps heal someone. Looks like you could use it." he told him, noticing that his injuries hadn't healed yet. Jason hesitated for a moment, then took it, taking a sip. As he took another, he could feel some of his cuts and bruises from the fight beginning to heal. By the time he finished the bottle, his injuries were gone.

The hero then stood in the center of the area as he turned to face Jason. The teen braced for some kind of speech, but instead, Hercules gestured to him. "Alright, come at me."

"What, aren't you gonna make some kind of speech?" Jason asked.

"You didn't seem like the speech kind of person." the demigod said.

Well, that was true. Jason then ran towards Hercules. He attempted to throw a punch, but Hercules caught it with ease. Jason's eyes widened. This guy wasn't even trying. He could feel it in the way the demigod held his fist. Just how strong was this guy?

Jason threw his other fist, but the same thing happened.

Hercules then released his grip on Jason. "See?" he told him as Jason took a step back. "You can't just muscle your way through everything."

The teen looked at him. "But you could put a crater in a mountain! Can you do that?"

There was a nod, which made Jason's jaw drop. "Wait, seriously?!"

Hercules cracked a smile. "Seriously. But as I was saying, you can't just use brawn to get through everything. A hero needs to also use his mind and his heart. That's a lesson I've had to learn when I was starting out as a hero."

Jason paused when he heard those words.

"You ever hear of the Hydra?"

Jason blinked. "The what?"

"The Hydra." Hercules repeated. "It's a snake like monster that grew another head each time one was chopped off."

"You're kidding." Jason said, but then saw the look on his face. "You're _not_ kidding."

The red haired demigod shook his head. "Definitely not kidding, Jason."

"So how'd you get out of that?"

"The first time it was defeated, I was cornered after cutting too many of its heads off. I had to cause bits of a cliff to break apart and fall onto it, crushing it."

"Wait, _first_ time?" Jason noticed.

"Yeah... a while ago, Hades, the god of the Underworld, was pitting many monsters against me nonstop, one of them being the Hydra..."

"Did you defeat it again?"

Hercules shook his head. "Actually, Sora defeated the Hydra last time." he answered.

Jason was surprised. "Wait, that guy did?"

"I was too exhausted to fight after taking on Hades' monsters nonstop when it wrecked the coliseum. And he defeated it with help from his friends, and using his head. He didn't just charge in head on. He worked together with his teammates, listened to advice that was given, and used strategies."

Realization dawned on Jason. "That's why you agreed to train me. You want to teach me that."

Hercules nodded. "Exactly. You need to work together with your teammates in battles like those."

Jason thought about it. He couldn't see himself working with Aurora anytime soon. Especially after the incident in the arena. He was half-tempted to throw her to the next Heartless that came across them.

With a sigh, the teen looked at the demigod. "Teach me. Please."

"Alright then." Hercules smiled with approval. "Now, show me what you got."

Jason summoned his Keyblade, prompting Hercules to raise an eyebrow. "You have one of those, too?" he asked, earning a nod from him. "I see... well, come on, then." Hercules challenged.

Jason charged at him and swung at the hero, who leaned to the side to dodge it. Hercules then tripped him, causing Jason to fall flat on his stomach.

"You need to be quick on your feet, be aware of what your enemy might do next." Hercules advised as Jason pushed himself up, nodding.

"I know that." he told him before charging at him, ducking when Hercules threw a swing.

"And in battle, you should be aware what kind of strategy your teammates might have and use it." the demigod said casually, leaning back to avoid a swing from the Keyblade. Jason nodded again.

Hercules then threw a swing again. Jason barely managed to avoid it before he threw a punch at the hero himself. He might as well have punched a brick wall for the good that did, because Hercules looked like he wasn't even fazed. He tried to swing his Keyblade again at him, barely grazing Hercules on the shoulder as the demigod dodged.

"Also, sometimes, you just need to listen to your heart and put that into it."

Jason rose an eyebrow. "How?"

"Well... it's a bit hard to explain..." Hercules rubbed the back of his neck. "But if your heart tells you that you should do something, then you should follow it. I know my heart led me in the right direction, and I'm sure yours might, too."

Part of Jason doubted that. Following one's heart wasn't an idea that existed on Harthyn.

He looked down for a moment, thinking about everything that the hero had told him.

"Is something wrong?" Hercules asked, noticing this.

"Nothing." Jason denied. He then got back to the training and swung at Hercules again, who ran out of the way and prepared to throw a swing at him. Jason dodged and Hercules's fist went straight into a tree trunk.

"Good." Hercules told him. He then yanked his hand out of the tree, leaving a fist sized hole in it. "You're doing a good job with the dodging. See if you can land another hit on me. Remember what I told you."

Jason nodded before he charged forward. He could tell that if he got hit by any of Hercules's punches, he'd probably be sent flying back.

As the demigod threw another punch, Jason ducked before running behind Hercules. He then noticed something. It took Hercules a few seconds to recompose himself after throwing a punch. Maybe he could use that.

As Hercules turned around and swung at him again, Jason avoided it, getting behind him once more, then saw his chance and attacked. He hit the demigod in the back with his Keyblade.

Hercules held his back where he got hit. "Hey, not bad!" he commented with approval.

Jason blinked. "Whoa. I half-expected something like, 'More of a curve', 'faster on the dodge', or something. But not encouragement like that."

"I know Phil can be a little bossy, but that's because he believes in those he trains."

The brown haired teen rose an eyebrow at that, a bit surprised.

"He sees in them the potential to become great heroes. Heroes that even the gods would honor."

"So when he decided to let us train...?"

Hercules nodded. "Philoctetes thought that you guys had potential."

Jason had no idea what to think about that. That guy honestly thought that? How could he?

Considering his father...

* * *

 _"Jason!" Mr. Norman snapped at him. A seven year old Jason jerked in a bit of surprise before looking up at his father. "Yes?"_

 _"What are you doing with these?" He snatched the cards that his friend, Phil, gave him out of his hand._

 _"I was just playing with them..." Jason muttered, not looking his father in the eye._

 _Without a word, Mr. Norman broke them in two._

 _Jason's eyes widened as his father tossed the now torn cards to the side. "What are you doing?! Those were a gift!"_

 _"They're garbage."_

 _"No, they're not!" Jason tried to pick up the torn cards, upset that his friend's gift to him had been torn apart._

 _His father just kicked them away. "It's time for you to grow up! Start training for the army!"_

 _"But I don't want to be in the army!" Jason protested._

 _Mr. Norman hit his son for that. Jason grunted in pain, holding his face as his father stood over him with a scowl._

 _"Listen good, boy. You are born to serve this country. You will go out and risk your life, and bring glory and honor to this family. That's all you were born for. That's your reason for existence."_

 _"But-"_

 _"No buts! You will put aside all childish nonsense, and devote yourself to becoming the perfect soldier."_

 _With that, his father stormed out of the room, leaving Jason alone._

 _Jason looked down, clenching his fist as his eye felt moist for a moment, then he angrily slammed his fist into the wall next to him._

 _"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"_

 _..._

 _Days later, his father was berating him. "You call that a push-up? A one-winged bird could do better than you! Come on!"_

 _Jason gritted his teeth, but then his arms gave out under him._

 _His father glared down at him. "Pathetic. You sniveling child!"_

 _"He'_ _s a child!" Mrs. Norman protested as she witnessed this._

 _"That doesn't matter!"_

 _"But what about having a childhood?"_

 _Jason saw his father narrow his eyes. "It'll make him too soft."_

 _"But..."_

 _He glared at her. "This is his future!"_

 _"Duncan! There's more to a person's future than being a soldier. What about college?"_

 _"I will not have my son become some egghead!"_

 _"Duncan, you can't just-"_

 _Jason cringed when he saw his Dad hit his mother, a loud smack echoing throughout the room._ _"Mom!" he exclaimed with worry as his mother held her throbbing cheek._

 _"You stay out of this!" his father said angrily._

 _"Don't hurt Mom!" Jason cried out as he leapt up to his feet._

 _As he ran forward, his dad turned and hit him. "This is what it means to to be a man, Jason. You follow your heart, you're going to get nowhere."_

 _Jason grunted as he fell back to the floor, holding where he had been hit. He could already feel a bruise beginning to form._

 _"Brain and brawn. Compassion, mercy, concern. It's all a pile of crap."_

 _"How... how could you say that...?" his mother whispered._

 _"Because it's true." Duncan narrowed his eyes._

 _Jason used his elbow to push himself upright, wincing in pain._

 _"Remember the pain you feel today, son. That's all all life will give you." His father then left the room without another word. His mother sniffled, holding a hand to her mouth before she knelt down and embraced Jason._

 _"Oh Jason... I-I'm so sorry..."_

* * *

Jason shook his head, snapping out of the memory. If a genuine hero was telling him the opposite of what his father said... then his father was wrong.

Jason clenched his fist, not in anger, but in determination. He then looked at Hercules. He would train, and learn, to listen to his heart.

"Alright, then." he nodded. "Let's do this."

Hercules smiled. "That's the spirit!" he said cheerfully, then got ready. "Now, let's begin."

* * *

Aurora was walking down the steps that led out to the courtyard. She wasn't ready to work with Jason anytime soon. If they wouldn't let her train there until she started working with him, then she wouldn't be training there at all.

"Hey, little lady, why so glum?" a voice suddenly asked out of nowhere.

Aurora tensed and turned around, seeing a strange man with gray skin and... blue flames for hair?

"Who are you?" she frowned.

"Name's Hades, Lord of the Dead, nice to meet ya." the man introduced, holding a hand out. Aurora ignored it, feeling suspicious of him. "Hm, not big on greetings, huh?"

Aurora just moved past him. "Hey, hey, hey, what's the rush?" Hades asked. "Why aren't you in there training like everyone else does when they come?"

"I was kicked out for fighting with someone." Aurora frowned, not liking how this guy was prying into her business.

"Ouch, that's gotta sting. Must be why there was a lot of thunder earlier." Hades remarked, then smirked as he approached the teen. "Hey, if you still wanna train, then I can help you. I can help you get stronger, get back at whoever got you thrown out-"

However, the girl just walked past him. "Sorry, but I don't deal with shady people like you..." she retorted as she walked to the door that led back down the mountain, leaving the courtyard and leaving the god of the Underworld standing there with a slightly gobsmacked look.

Hades blinked once, then twice. Then his eye started to twitch as his lips curled back in a sneer. His skin turned red, as did the flames on his head, as he let out a yell of anger.

* * *

Chase blinked as he thought he heard a distant explosion. "You guys hear something?"

Riku paused training for a moment, trying to listen, but shook his head before he returned to breaking vases with Way to Dawn.

It was then Clair came back into the arena. "Hey, Clair, how'd it go?" Chase smiled.

"Well... not good." Clair sighed as she took a seat.

"Oh... well, she'll come around eventually." Chase said, then saw her look. "Is something wrong?"

Clair was silent for a moment, as if debating what to say, then said, "I tried to get her to see that she needs to put her feud with Jason aside, but all she did was kick me and tell me that I'll never be a fighter..."

"What?! Are you kidding? You're definitely a fighter, a very good one!" he told her. "Back in the arena, you put up a really good fight! And with those spells, I'm pretty sure you would've won at several points."

Clair was a bit surprised. "You really think so?"

"Yeah." Chase smiled at her.

Clair didn't know what to say at that. A moment later, she hesitantly gave a smile back as a slight blush appeared on her face from the compliment. She felt her spirits lift a bit again thanks to his words.

Several feet away from them, Dylan was currently balancing on top of a wooden post while trying to balance a sort of bowl filled with some fruit atop his head. "Remember, if you're fighting in a place where you don't have much ground, you have to keep your balance!" Phil called to him. "If you get caught off guard, then you're in for a lotta pain!"

"What's the bowl for, then?" Dylan asked, nearly falling over as he struggled to keep the bowl from falling.

"To help ya out with keeping your balance." Phil replied without missing a beat.

Off to the side, Sora was currently with Donald and Goofy. During the time they were in the coliseum, they had noticed that they hadn't seen another certain friend that they made the last time they had visited.

"Where do ya suppose Auron is?" Goofy wondered, remembering the mysterious warrior.

"Well, we did free him from Hades... maybe he went off on his own?" Sora guessed, crossing his arms as he looked down in thought.

"If he is, then I'm sure he's fine." Donald replied, knowing that Auron could handle himself. Sora smiled, nodding in agreement.

"Hey, you three! Quit slacking off!" Phil called to the trio with a smirk. Sora, Donald, and Goofy all exchanged a look before they chuckled.

"Sorry, Phil!" Sora apologized before the three friends rejoined those who were in the arena.

* * *

Meanwhile, Anne had taken a break and was currently sitting in the lobby, drinking a cup of water as she wiped some sweat off her forehead.

Who knew that old satyr knew a lot of training methods? She could swear she could still feel the vase that hit her back.

She then glanced over at the doorway. They hadn't heard from either Jason or Aurora for a while, now. "Wonder how Hercules is dealing with Jason right now..." she said to herself.

"Helping him train, of course!"

Anne choked on her drink in surprise upon hearing the voice, hacking as she pounded her chest to try and get her breath back. She looked around rapidly, trying to figure out where the voice came from.

"Up here!"

She looked up and to her shock, saw the same five women from before, this time as engravings in a stone block. Anne let out a yell of surprise as she dropped her cup as she backed away, falling off the bench and landing on her side.

One of them let out a laugh. "Careful, now."

"Y-Y-You again?!" Anne exclaimed as she pulled herself back up, gawking at the five women. "Who... who are you?!"

"We are the Muses, Goddesses of the arts, and proclaimers of heroes." the tallest one explained.

Anne felt like she had been slapped in the face as her jaw dropped. "You're goddesses?!"

"That's right!" the one with her hair sticking up said. "I'm Terpsichore."

"I am Clio." a woman with a ponytail that carried a scroll introduced.

A woman with long curly hair that held a mask in her hand did a curtsy. "Melpomene."

"Name's Thalia!" the stout one of the five proclaimed with a friendly grin as she placed a hand on her hip.

"And I am Calliope." the tallest introduced.

Anne just stammered with shock as she stared at them. "H-How'd you get there?! I saw you in that vase earlier and then you were gone!"

"We're goddesses, we can teleport anywhere where we wish to go." Clio smiled.

"We have been observing you all since you have arrived." Melpomene stated.

That took the teen by surprise. "Wait, you have?"

"Well, of course!" Thalia said. "We always keep an eye on mortals with gifts for the arts. Musicians, actors, poets, you name the art, we're watching over them."

Anne let out a surprised whistle. "Well, I do like music..." she admitted.

"See?" Thalia said cheerfully.

"And when we saw you could wield a Keyblade, we knew we would be keeping an eye on you." Calliope said. Anne scratched the back of her head shyly.

"And we saw that your friends could wield Keyblades, as well, so we have been watching them, too." Clio said.

"Yeah..." Anne said. "But we're all still learning the ropes. We're nowhere near hero level yet."

"Learning what you can do is part of the journey of a hero." Clio said.

Terpsichore nodded. "Odysseus was known for his brain, while Theseus had great courage. And Perseus had qualities from both."

"That's a lot of names that end in -eus." Anne noted. That got an amused chuckle from Calliope.

"But Hercules had to spend years learning to become the hero that he is today." Thalia added.

Anne slouched over hearing those words. Looks like they would be training for a long time...

"However... you all have been learning quite fast. Just like Sora did."

The teen looked up at that. "Really?"

"Yeah. He's even got a picture with his friends in the stars."

Anne did a double take. "Wait, what?!"

"The greatest of heroes are honored by the gods in such a way." Calliope explained. "Heroes we honor in song."

The brown haired teen couldn't help but stare in awe. Sora and his friends just kept surprising Anne. Were they famous in many worlds or something? She was definitely going to have to ask them the next chance she got.

"So... you've been keeping an eye on my friends, too?" The teen thought this could be a way to find out what's been going on with Jason and Aurora.

"You bet we have." Thalia remarked as she leaned against the side of the brick she and the other Muses were on.

Melpomene gave a nod. "Aurora turned down an offer from the Lord of the Dead himself not too long ago."

Anne did a double take. "The Lord of the Dead?"

"As in Hades, the Ruler of the Underworld, and Zeus's brother."

Anne remembered the thunder god from before. "He's related to the thunder guy?"

The Muses nodded, confirming this. "He's always up to no good." Terpsichore said.

"So it was sweet to see him get blown off like that." Thalia added with a grin on her face.

"What about Jason?"

"Currently, he's training with Hercules down in a spot that Hercules himself likes to train in every now and then." Calliope answered.

Anne blinked. "So he's okay, then."

"He is." Clio confirmed.

"That's a relief."

"Be on the lookout for Hades, as well as the Heartless." Calliope then warned.

"He's very cunning." Terpsichore added. "He often uses manipulation to try and get his way. He's associated with darkness, so he may even use the Heartless."

Based on what she was hearing, Anne knew that they had to be very wary of this guy. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Now, you should probably get back to training. You'll need it for the fights ahead." Clio told her. "Besides, Philoctetes doesn't like to be kept waiting for a long time during training."

Anne's eyes widened as she remembered. "Oh man, you're right!"

She turned around and started running to the door, but screeched to a halt as she looked over her shoulder. "By the way, what about-"

However, the Muses had vanished once more. She blinked in surprise, then remembered they said they could teleport.

It was then she could hear the faint yells of Phil from the arena. "Hey! Anne! Break time's over! Time to get back to training!"

Anne scrambled into the hall. The Muses' warning about Hades stayed fresh in her mind as she ran. She knew she had to let the others know. Since she heard that Hades could control the Heartless, it was bad news. If Hades tried anything, they'd need to be ready just in case.


	27. Bury the Hatchet

Sora wiped some sweat from his forehead upon completing another round of training. "How was that?" he grinned.

"Very good!" Phil smirked. "If you keep this up, I might just upgrade ya from Junior Heroes."

Donald and Sora's eyes lit up at that, but then Phil added, " _Might._ "

Kairi let out a giggle as Sora slumped his shoulders. "Don 't worry, Sora, you're still a hero to us."

Sora stiffened a bit, then gave a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his neck as a slight blush appeared on his face. Donald, seeing this, playfully nudged him. "Aww, are you blushing?" he teased.

The red and black clad teen froze upon realizing this and quickly covered his face. "What? No, I'm not!" he quickly denied. Kairi started to blush a bit as well upon seeing this.

"A-hyuck! Yes, you are! Your face is all red!" Goofy smiled. Both Kairi and Sora averted their eyes as the group started to chuckle at what they were witnessing.

Philoctetes looked between the both of them and rose an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. You two are a thing, huh?"

"We are not!" the two quickly exclaimed in unison, their faces now a tomato red.

However, the satyr merely shrugged, not believing them for one second. "That's what they all say." he remarked. Chase and Lea burst into laughter at that with Chase slapping his knee.

It was then Anne had arrived, running out of the hall and practically skidding to a halt in front of the group as soon as she reached them. She panted as she placed her hands on her knees, hunching over as she tried to regain her breath. "H-Hey, guys..."

"About time!" Phil remarked, placing his hands on his hips. "You took a pretty long break in there. What kept you?"

Anne stood back up straight, scratching the back of her neck sheepishly. "You'd... probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Oh yeah? Try me." Phil challenged. "Herc's been late for several training sessions due to some crazy things he had to deal with first."

Anne blinked in surprise at that, then let out a sigh. "Okay... well... I kinda met and talked to the Muses."

Phil's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull while the rest of the team merely were confused. "You saw the Muses?!"

"Who are they?" Clair asked curiously.

"They're the goddesses of the arts." Phil explained, turning to face the teen. "They keep watch over mortals who like the arts and have the potential to become heroes. I think I've only saw them one time, which was a long time ago. They tend to come and go as they please."

"They mentioned to me that they were keeping watch over us." Anne remembered. "I think they said it was cause of the Keyblades... maybe they saw that we have potential?"

"Whoa, really?" Sora asked curiously.

The brown haired girl gave a nod as she sat down, then her eyes widened as she remembered another thing. "They also mentioned to be on the lookout for someone named Hades..."

Upon hearing that, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Phil tensed, as did Riku. The silver haired teen remembered briefly meeting the god when the worlds were first sent into darkness nearly a year and a half ago. Even back then, he could tell that Hades was not one to be taken lightly.

"Hades?! That guy's up to no good again?" Donald scowled.

"Who's he?" Dylan asked.

"Hades is the Lord of the Dead, god of the Underworld." Phil explained. "He's kind of Herc's arch-enemy and constantly tries to kill him and cause chaos."

"He's always pulling dirty moves to make sure that he wins." Sora added. "He tries to make deals with people, usually to get something he wants or to get someone out of the way. He did that to a couple friends of mine in the past."

Donald frowned. "And he can control Heartless, too!"

"Then... those Heartless we encountered on the mountain on the way up... you think they could have been sent by Hades?"

"It could be." Phil crossed his arms. "If the Muses warned ya about him, then it must mean something's up..."

He then looked up at the group of fighters. "I hope you guys are up for a few more rounds of training, cause Hades ain't some Heartless you can smack around a couple times and expect 'em to disappear. He's tough."

"Yeah, and scary when he's angry." Goofy added, remembering the god of the Underworld's temper.

"Which means you guys gotta be ready if he decides to make his move." Phil declared, pondering about what the next training session should be. Then it came to him. "I got it! Hey, Sora! How's about you face off against one of the newbies there?"

Sora was a bit surprised by Phil's sudden suggestion, but agreed. "Uh, okay." he nodded.

Riku, however, realized what he meant. "I see... you want them to test their skills against a more experienced fighter."

"Bingo." Phil snapped his fingers.

"Oh, I got it!" Sora nodded, then looked at the group. "Hm... how about... Kairi?"

Kairi smiled and gave a nod as she stood up. "Sure, why not? I could use a warm up."

Donald and Goofy exchanged a look, quietly chuckling to themselves as Sora and Kairi stepped into the arena, facing each other.

"You both know the rules. Now... begin!" Phil exclaimed, stepping out of the arena quickly.

The two dashed towards each other, summoning their Keyblades. Sora made the first move and swung first, but Kairi leaned back to avoid it. She then swung her own Keyblade at Sora, who had to duck to avoid getting hit by it.

Sora then leapt back before charging at Kairi again, gripping his Keyblade in both hands as he leapt up and raised it over his head before bringing it down. It ended up meeting the floor as Kairi managed to leap out of the way.

The redhead made her move and focused, pointing her flowery Keyblade at him, exclaiming, "Aero!"

A gust of wind caught Sora as it twirled, spinning him around in the air. The brown haired teen flailed his arms as he tried to break free from the mini tornado, but the tornado then vanished, plopping him back on the ground.

Sora recovered, jumping back up to his feet as he charged at Kairi. He then focused as well, letting out a cry of, "Blizzard!"

A stream of an ice cold cloud shot towards Kairi, leaving a line of ice on the ground in its wake. Kairi managed to avoid the freezing cloud as it hit a pillar instead, freezing it.

However, Sora jumped onto the ice and glided across it, zooming towards Kairi. The redhead's eyes widened in surprise before she quickly threw up her Keyblade to block the blow. Their weapons clashed once more.

"Not bad, Kairi!" Sora praised with a smile.

Kairi gave a smile back to him before Sora jumped away, a faint aura appearing around him as his feet landed on one of the pillars near him. He activated Flowmotion, launching himself towards Kairi. Her eyes widened as he leapt up into the air and prepared to bring his Keyblade down, so she jumped back and instead of the Keyblade hitting her, it hit the ground again, but produced a powerful wave that knocked Kairi back.

She grunted as she planted her feet back into the ground, skidding back from the force of the wave.

As Sora landed on the ground, Kairi prepared herself and shot a ball of bright energy at him from the tip of her Keyblade. "Light!"

Sora saw it coming and threw his hand out as a barrier appeared in front of the teen, keeping it from hitting him.

Kairi dashed straight at the spiky haired teen as soon as the barrier was down and swung her Keyblade, catching him off guard and managing to land a hit on him.

Riku cracked a smile from the stands as they witnessed the spar go on. "They're both doing very well. Kairi's improved a lot ever since she began training."

"I'll say." Goofy remarked.

Back in the arena, Sora and Kairi ended up clashing blades with each other again, both of their weapons clanging against each other as they blocked swings. Kairi then remembered a move that Riku had taught her during the time she had trained at the Mysterious Tower. She whirled around, catching Sora off guard once more and managing to land another hit on him.

Sora grunted as he felt the hit, but brushed it off as he gave Kairi a supportive smile. She was doing so well!

"Heads up!" he warned as he prepared to use Strike Raid. Kairi dodge-rolled out of the way as the blue eyed teenager tossed his Keyblade towards her with it twirling in the air.

As it returned to Sora's hand, he threw it once more as Kairi started to get up. The Princess of Heart saw the Keyblade coming and quickly pressed her hand against the flat end of the blade to block the attack. It bounced off, but caused Kairi to stumble back. She quickly regained her balance before readying herself for another attack.

"Fire!" Sora yelled as he cast the fire spell, sending a fireball towards Kairi's direction. Kairi threw up a barrier spell to prevent the fireball from hitting her. The fireball bounced off harmlessly before Kairi charged at her friend.

Sora leapt out of the way as Kairi swung at him. He tightened his grip on his Keyblade as he delivered a sideways slash. Kairi grunted as she got hit on the arm, then jumped away as she prepared to attack. She tried throwing her Keyblade, which spun around in the air as it went sailing towards Sora.

Thinking quickly, Sora pressed his hand against the flat end of his weapon and held it out in front of him as Destiny's Embrace bounced right off it, returning to Kairi's hand in a flash of light.

Sora then gave a smile, dismissing Kingdom Key. "That was great, Kairi!"

Kairi giggled softly, hiding a blush as she let her Keyblade hang at her side. "Thank you, Sora. That was pretty fun."

"Well done, you guys." Riku praised his friends from the seats, having a smile on his face as he spoke.

Phil then entered the arena, approaching the two. "Okay, I think that's enough for now. You two can take a break. Then it's on to the next training round."

While the two headed back to the stands, Chase and Dylan were currently having a discussion off to the side. Dylan looked deep in thought, which Chase had noticed.

"What's on your mind, bro?"

"Well, I've been thinking about what happened to our world for a while." Dylan sighed, then looked at his brother. "Do you think Mom managed to make it out of there?"

Chase was a bit surprised by that. He, too, was also worried about their mother, but he hoped she was alive and alright. "I'm sure she did, Dyl."

"You sure?" Dylan asked.

Chase gave a reassuring grin. "Positive."

Dylan hesitated for a moment, then cracked a smile. "Alright, then..."

* * *

Meanwhile with Aurora, she was currently walking down the path that they had used to ascend Mount Olympus earlier. She was still a little sore about what had happened in the coliseum, so she decided to find somewhere else to train.

She observed the area around her as she trekked on. She could still see some statues here and there, as well as a couple of toppled pillars lying in the grass.

The area she was currently in was too narrow to train in, especially since it was too close to a cliff. One wrong step and she could be sent tumbling down it.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar noise behind her. She turned around and saw a few Heartless materialize. She recognized a couple of them as Shadows, but a couple of them were also Soldiers.

With a frown, she called forth her Keyblade, getting ready to fight. "I'm not in the mood for this."

A Soldier charged right at her, waving its arms wildly as it prepared to attack. Aurora gave a swing of her Keyblade, smacking the Heartless with her weapon and knocking it back. It landed on its back before scampering back up.

One of the Shadows sunk into the ground before slithering underneath Aurora's feet. It popped back up behind her as Aurora quickly turned around. She couldn't block the attack in time and ended up getting hit by the monster. The raven haired girl winced from the attack, but landed a hit on the Shadow, stunning it. Using this to her advantage, she slashed at the Shadow again, destroying it as it vanished back into darkness.

The Soldier from before then ran right at her again, intent to attack her. Aurora swung her Keyblade at it, landing another blow on the Heartless. However, she realized that it wasn't going down as easily as the Shadow did.

The Soldier twitched erratically as it charged head on at Aurora again. The teenager readied herself, gripping the handle of her Keyblade in both hands as she took a step back, raising it above her hands before bringing it down on the Soldier just as it lunged at her.

The attack killed the Heartless, releasing the heart it held as it floated out of sight. Another Shadow scurried over to Aurora, swiping at her with its claws. She managed to avoid getting hit, but then another Soldier attacked her from behind, taking her by surprise.

She stumbled forward, feeling the pain from the attack, but she shook it off. Aurora whirled around, swinging at it, but the Soldier dodged it. She frowned in annoyance as the Heartless ran around her in circles. When it suddenly lunged at her, Aurora reacted quickly and slashed at it, hitting the Soldier in its side. The Heartless was knocked away by this, tumbling around from the blow before managing to get back up to its feet. A Shadow made its way towards Aurora at the same time the Soldier charged in again.

Aurora readied herself as the two monsters of darkness prepared to attack her. As they charged towards her, she did a trick that her grandfather taught her. She leapt over the two Heartless, landing on her feet behind them.

The two scurried around to face her, but she attacked first. She moved her blade in an arc, bringing it down on the head of the Shadow.

The Shadow was forced down by that, but was finished off by another swing. The Soldier then sliced her with its claws.

Aurora cringed as she held her now injured arm. However, she wasn't out of the fight, yet.

The Soldier charged at her, but she quickly side-stepped. She then stabbed it in the back. The Heartless staggered from that, so she stabbed it again. This was enough to destroy the Heartless, releasing the heart it held. Aurora let out a sigh as she was about to walk away, but was surprised by another Shadow that tried to attack her.

"Oh, Gri's beak." she swore as she swung her Keyblade.

The key-shaped sword managed to hit the Shadow, but then it sunk back into the ground, sliding under her feet. She prepared herself for when it would arise.

The Shadow then rose out of the ground, leaping to deliver the blow. However, the raven haired girl attacked first, swinging her Keyblade and landing the final blow, vanquishing the Heartless. She scoffed as she did.

Now that all the Heartless that had attacked her were dealt with, she felt her injured arm throb. She winced as she pressed her arm against it, but then remembered the healing spell that she had seen the others use.

"Heal." She tried to cast the spell, imagining her injuries vanishing. However, it didn't seem to work the first time. She frowned with annoyance before trying it again, imagining the same thing happening. "Heal."

Again, nothing seemed to happen. "What's wrong with this stupid spell? Heal!" She tried it once more, but only saw a faint green glow emerge from her Keyblade, but other than that, nothing else happened. "Why doesn't it work?"

She looked up the mountain, but managed to bite back a curse. She decided to give it one more try, visualizing her injuries disappearing. "Heal!"

If this didn't work...

This time, a green glow brighter than before emerged from her Keyblade. "Finally." she thought to herself out loud.

She could feel her wounds from the fight slowly healing up as the pain vanished. She could even feel the dull pain from the fight she had with Jason earlier vanish as well. She smirked with satisfaction.

"That feels much better." she said to herself as she then took a glance around, seeing another path. "Well, got nothing better to do."

She began to head down the pathway. She could see a couple more statues lying about, as well as a small set of old, stone stairs covered in moss and weeds. She leaned down to get a closer look at it. "Hmm..."

It did seem like it had been here for a long time. Maybe this led to somewhere...

She walked up the stairs, finding another dirt path. "What secrets are you hiding?" she asked herself.

She began to head down the path, seeing a rather beautiful view of the city and landscape down below from where she was. Looking back ahead of her, she saw that the path led to a spot that had a short gap between where she was and a trail that led under a short stone tunnel. In the gap, there was a set of stone pedestals that acted as platforms wide enough to stand atop of. It looked like the only way across was to jump onto them. Aurora shook her head seeing this. "They never do anything halfway, do they?"

She took a step back before jumping, landing onto the first pedestal before leaping to the next one. Seeing that it wouldn't collapse under her, she jumped off it, making it to the other side.

Aurora scoffed once she landed. "So much for a hard trail." she muttered sarcastically.

Aurora then walked through the short tunnel, and when she exited it, found a grassy area with a couple boulders lying about. Rolling her eyes, she just continued forward.

She noticed this place was wide enough, as well as away from the edge of the cliff. Maybe she could train here. Yes... this would work.

She took a step forward, examining the area before taking a breath. She then sat down, beginning to meditate, closing her eyes to focus.

 _"Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. In with the good. Out with the bad."_

So, as she thought of those words, she worked on focusing her chi, as her grandfather told her before.

The wind faintly howled as she concentrated. A leaf blew off a tree. When it landed in front of her, she then leapt up to her feet. Her eyes snapped open as she summoned her Keyblade.

She then proceeded to do a series of poses and stances, seeing in her mind an army of enemies to vanquish. She also practiced swinging her Keyblade to go along with the poses.

She would flip over an enemy, then parry the strike of another. Aurora let out a few grunts as she visualized the enemies while doing these moves. She kept fighting back in her mind, pretending to hit and bash them. The raven haired teen then imagined one preparing to strike at her, so she ducked down, avoiding the 'attack' before getting back up and resumed doing the stances while swinging her weapon.

Aurora knew that if she kept this up, this training would go well...

* * *

Meanwhile, Jason was currently still training with Hercules. He was doing push-ups as Hercules encouraged him.

"That's it, Jason! Keep it up!" the demigod smiled.

Jason noticed that unlike his father, Hercules didn't berate him. He didn't yell harsh words or punish him, but instead praised him.

The encouragement he got from the hero was inspiring, and made him feel better and confident about himself. It was... much more than his father had done. And he was enjoying this.

"Okay, I think that's enough push-ups for now." Hercules decided as Jason relaxed, dropping down before pushing himself back up to his feet. "Now, how about practicing on your swings with your Keyblade?"

Jason called forth his Keyblade as it appeared in a flash of light. "Alright, then."

He then started to swing his weapon, imagining hitting a Heartless with it. As it swished through the air, he swung again, but harder this time.

"Try not to swing too hard." Hercules advised. "If you miss, you'll leave an opening for your opponent."

Jason paused when he heard that, then nodded as he prepared to swing again. This time, it wasn't as forceful.

"Good. Better."

The teen did the same move as he had did before, but did it faster this time.

"Remember to think on your feet. Your enemy won't be standing still."

"I know that part." Jason nodded as he glanced over at the hero.

"Something important to remember." Hercules said. "Phil's made me memorize every hero rule."

Jason rose an eyebrow. "There are rules?"

"Well, that's what Phil says." Hercules rubbed the back of his neck. "As I'm sure you've found out before, Phil's pretty strict when it comes to hero stuff."

The teen looked at him. "That would be an understatement."

Hercules gave a faint laugh, agreeing with the teen. "Okay, now try it again."

Jason prepared himself, swinging his Keyblade as he imagined one of the Heartless, such as the ones they had encountered earlier, trying to attack him. He quickly moved to the side. He then sliced its back before the Heartless fell in his mind.

"Not bad!" Hercules praised as he walked over, giving him a slap on the back, but was a bit too forceful due to his strength and accidentally sent Jason straight to the ground.

"OOF!" Jason grunted as he landed on his stomach.

Hercules blinked in surprise. "Whoops."

Jason groaned as he pushed himself off his stomach, rolling over. He couldn't think of a comeback, though.

Hercules then held his hand out to Jason. "Sorry about that. Forgot about my strength, there."

Jason hesitated for a moment as he stared up at him, then accepted the hand as the demigod helped him back up to his feet. "You've got a mean tap on you."

The hero cracked a smile. "I've been told that a lot."

Jason dusted himself off as he got ready to practice again. "So, what was it about listening to my heart, again?" he asked as he practiced his swings.

"Oh, right." Hercules remembered. "Like I said before, sometimes in certain situations, your heart might try to tell you something. It can lead you in the right direction as long as you put your heart into it. Trust yourself."

The chestnut haired teen paused as he took in those words. How could anyone not trust themselves?

"Try it out. What's your heart saying right now?" Hercules asked.

Jason closed his eyes for a moment, focusing. "It's saying... that..." He then shrugged. "I don't know." he replied honestly.

Hercules gave a nod of understanding. He could tell that this was new to him, and it would probably take some time. "Sometimes, you just gotta really listen."

Jason looked down. He never really listened to his heart before...

It was then a whinny filled the air, prompting him to raise an eyebrow. Hercules glanced up at the sky and smiled. "Ah! Pegsus!"

Jason looked up as well and saw a white, winged horse with a mane flying down to the enclosure. Riding atop it was a woman with long, dark red hair tied back into a ponytail wearing a light purple dress.

However, it was the horse that had his attention. He had NEVER seen anything like a winged horse before. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes before pinching himself to make sure he was awake.

The woman smiled at Hercules once the horse had landed. "Hey, Wonderboy." she greeted with a smile as she climbed off the horse. "Thought I'd find you here."

"Hi, Meg." Hercules smiled back. "Did you miss me after the date?"

It took Jason a second to catch up after getting over his shock of seeing Pegasus. "Wait. You two are a couple?!"

Hercules remembered he was there and turned to look back at him, giving a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, we are."

That shocked the teen. Here was this guy with muscles on his muscles, dating a woman who was unbelievably thin. The demigod looked as if he could break her in half if he wasn't careful. Was everyone in this world of varying sizes that humans elsewhere couldn't achieve?

"Who's the kid? A fan of yours?" the woman asked as she noticed Jason.

Hercules shook his head. "No, this is Jason. I've agreed to train him for a bit since there was a sort of incident back in the coliseum."

"Oh, I see. A personal student."

Jason was still trying to recover from his shock. "Uh... what is THAT?" Jason asked, unable to keep himself from asking as he stared at the winged horse.

"Hm?" Hercules followed his gaze. "Oh, this is Pegasus. He's my best friend. My father created him after I was born. He's one of a kind."

Pegasus trotted over to Jason before sniffing him a bit, tilting his head. Jason took a step back from that. "What's he doing?" Jason asked.

"He hasn't seen you before, so that's kind of what he does if he meets someone new." Hercules shrugged.

It was then Pegasus did something unexpected. He grabbed Jason's head with his hooves and head butted him.

"Ow!" The teen held his head while glaring at the winged horse. "What was that for?!"

Hercules tried to suppress a chuckle. "That's his way of showing he likes you."

The teen just rubbed his forehead. Pegasus seemed to smile before trotting back to Hercules.

"My name's Megara. Friends call me Meg." the woman introduced.

"Uh... hi." Jason muttered, averting his eyes.

"So, you teaching him the basics?" Meg asked Hercules.

"Sort of." Hercules replied. "He already knows how to fight a bit, but I'm showing him some extra moves he can use."

Meg smirked. "Oh? This kid's a fighter, too? Well, let's see what you've been teaching him."

Hercules looked back at Jason. "Well? You up for it?"

Jason paused for a moment, thinking about it. Well, he might as well since the hero had given him some advice. It wouldn't hurt to show someone. "... alright."

Herc and Meg stepped to the side to give him some space as Pegasus trotted over to them before sitting down like a dog would. Jason readied his Keyblade, which prompted Megara to raise an eyebrow. "He has one like Sora?" she asked herself.

Jason then began to swing at thin air, pretending that there were Heartless there. Like Hercules had told him before, he made sure he didn't swing too hard. As he visualized the enemy lunging to attack, he delivered a blow to its back, seeing it vanish in his mind. He then imagined another enemy lunging to attack him, so he used his Keyblade to 'block' the attack.

The teen jumped away from the enemy and imagined the Heartless was about to slash at him with its claws so he swung his Keyblade diagonally. In his mind, he saw the Heartless get knocked aside from the blow.

He made sure to stay on his feet, moving to another spot to attack as he pretended to fight off Heartless.

It was then Hercules decided to shout out some scenarios to spice up the training a bit. "Okay, you've got two Heartless charging at you from both sides!"

Jason quickly dove forward, rolling out of the way. He pushed himself up to his feet just as Hercules called, "Now the Rock Titan's about to slam its fist down!"

However, Jason just stared at him. "Huh?"

The hero blinked before he realized that Jason didn't know what the Titans were. "Oh. Never mind. How about a Heartless is attacking you from behind?"

Jason whirled around, slashing at thin air. He was about make another move when his stomach growled loudly, making him pause in surprise.

"Looks like somebody's hungry." Meg smirked with amusement.

Jason hadn't realized how much time had passed. He then realized he hadn't eaten in a while. Now that he thought about it, he _was_ pretty hungry.

Hercules walked over to him, patting him on the back, this time more gently. "Come on, lets get some food. Can't train with an empty stomach."

Jason hesitated for a moment, but then agreed, heading off to the side to take a break and eat. Right now he felt like he could eat a grumnunt.

* * *

Back on Mount Olympus, Lea was currently about to face off against Sora.

"Alright, Lea, lets see what you got." Sora challenged as he readied his Keyblade.

Lea smirked, calling his fiery Keyblade to his hand. "Alright, but don't go easy on me. Got it memorized?"

Lea then charged forward, making the first move. He raised his Keyblade high before swinging down. Sora jumped back to avoid getting hit by it.

He delivered a sideways slash, which Lea avoided. Lea then shot a fireball from the tip of the Keyblade at Sora. Quickly, the teen dodge-rolled out of the way as the fireball hit a pillar behind him instead.

Sora focused, shooting a blizzard spell at the pyro. However, Lea managed to evade it as it before dashing straight at the brown haired teen and swung his Keyblade again, ending up in a sword lock with Sora.

After attempting to push each other back, they leapt away and waited to see who would attack first.

Sora made the next move, throwing his Keyblade right at the pyro. Lea's bright green eyes widened as he saw it coming before quickly holding his Keyblade in front of him to block the weapon. The Kingdom Key slammed right into his Keyblade, nearly making him stumble back, but Lea stood his ground.

Lea then got an idea and smirked. "Hope you're ready for this!"

He gripped his Keyblade tightly, focusing before the blade part became covered in flames. It was a trick he had learned during his training with Merlin back in Radiant Garden. He had to say that this was probably one of his favorite new techniques.

Sora's eyes grew wide at the sight as Lea came rushing at him. Lea swung his flame-coated Keyblade at Sora, who quickly leaned back to avoid it. The brown haired teen could feel the heat of the fire as he dodged the attack while some sweat formed on his brow.

As soon as Lea was open for an attack, Sora sprung into action and landed a hit on Lea, who winced as he stumbled from the blow. The redhead swung his Keyblade at Sora, who managed to dodge the attack again.

Sora gripped his Keyblade in both hands before he used Sliding Dash, speeding towards Lea while thrusting his weapon forward. Lea side-stepped as fast as he could, barely managing to avoid getting grazed.

Lea then focused, pointing his Keyblade at Sora again, shouting, "Fira!"

A stronger version of the fire spell emerged from his Keyblade and flew towards Sora.

Sora, thinking quickly, leapt up against a pillar he was near and used Flowmotion to launch himself into the air, avoiding the fireball as it hit the pillar once more. He could feel the blazing heat and even started to sweat a bit as the fireball vanished.

While the Flowmotion was still active, Sora dove down with his Keyblade raised above his head. Lea managed to look up in time to see Sora preparing to attack, so he quickly tried to block the incoming blow, but the force of the attack was strong enough to knock Lea right onto his back. The pyro grunted in pain from that, feeling like the wind was knocked right out of him and was about to get up when Sora pointed the edge of his Keyblade at his neck.

Lea winced, but cracked a grin as he looked up at Sora. "Okay, okay, you win. Man, you've gotta show me how to use that Flowmotion thing."

The brown haired teenager smiled and offered a hand to Lea, who accepted it and let him help him up. "That wasn't bad at all, Ax- er, Lea." Sora said, catching himself.

"Well, I did learn some pretty sweet techniques back in Radiant Garden." Lea bragged jokingly. Sora smiled and shook his head as the two Keyblade wielders stepped out of the arena.

Phil crossed his arms as he looked up at them. "That was pretty good, but Red, you're gonna need to keep practicing and stay on your feet." he said as he jabbed his finger at Lea.

"Right, right, got it." Lea nodded as he pulled a potion out of his pocket and gulped it down to heal the bruises he gained during the fight.

Sora stretched before looking at the group in the stands, smiling eagerly. "Okay, who wants to go next?"

"Actually..." Riku stood up, drawing the attention of the others. "I'd like to face off against one of them this time."

Sora blinked, but nodded as he took a seat. "Sure thing, Riku."

"Take it away, Mr. Keyblade Master." Kairi joked.

Riku rolled his eyes, but a faint smile could be seen on his face before it became serious again as he looked at the group in front of him, debating who he should have spar against him.

"Who do you think he's gonna pick for this one?" Chase whispered to Anne, who looked just as intrigued.

She shrugged in reply. "Who knows? Could be you, could be Dylan, could be-"

"Anne. You're up." Riku announced as he looked at her.

"... me?"

* * *

A couple moments later, Riku and Anne were standing in the arena waiting for Phil to begin the match.

"Are you ready for this?" Riku asked, calling forth Way to Dawn while getting into his usual battle stance.

Anne summoned her own Keyblade, giving a nod. "Yeah. Let's do this."

Truth be told, Anne was pretty uncertain about this fight. She had heard Riku being called a 'Keyblade Master', and something told her that it wasn't just a nickname.

"BEGIN!" Philoctetes yelled from the stands.

Riku charged forward before Anne could even react and prepared to strike. Anne pressed her hand against the flat part of the blade and held it out, digging her feet into the ground as Riku's Keyblade came down on hers. Anne skidded back from the blow as she struggled to push back.

As Riku made Anne stumble, an idea popped into her head. The green eyed teenager dashed back at Riku, then spun around, giving a sideways slash with her gray and black Keyblade. Riku quickly leaned back as the Keyblade passed by his stomach before retaliating with a swing of his own.

Anne dodged as he brought his Keyblade down, hitting the stone slabs beneath them. She slashed at him, but the silver haired Keyblade wielder leapt back a couple feet.

"Freeze!" Anne yelled as she cast the blizzard spell at Riku. Thinking quickly, he dodged yet again.

Anne gripped her Keyblade in both hands before delivering a forceful swing. Riku blocked it and they were in another sword lock yet again.

"Be sure to get the upper hand in battle. Otherwise, you're good as gone." he told her as their blades clashed. Anne pushed back as hard as she could to try and shove him back. However, Riku got the upper hand and backflipped away, catching her off guard as he landed a hit on her.

The teen winced as she held her arm, but tightened her grip on her Keyblade. She then concentrated as she held up her key-shaped weapon. "Thunder!" she yelled as a few lightning bolts struck down.

Riku wove his way past one, but his shoulder ended up grazing another and he felt a slight burn. Riku winced, but shook it off. The Keyblade Master ran at the girl as he swung his weapon at her, but she jumped to the side to dodge it.

She threw her Keyblade at him as it spun like a boomerang. Riku didn't react fast enough as the Keyblade hit him before returning to Anne's hand.

"Yeah!" she cheered.

Riku hissed a bit from the blow, but straightened himself as he raised his Keyblade again. "Fire!"

Anne's eyes widened as she saw the fireball coming straight at her, so she quickly dove down, rolling over as she barely avoided getting hit. She scrambled back up to her feet and wracked her brain for a move to use in the spar. She then noticed a pillar just a few feet away from her and remembered the moves she saw Chase and Sora use in their spars.

A lightbulb went off and her eyes lit up before she ran at the pillar, leaping towards it and planting her feet against it, managing to launch herself off of the pillar, although it wasn't like Flowmotion. She raised her Keyblade above her head as Riku looked up just in time to see her about to attack and quickly blocked with his Keyblade.

He shoved her away as he took a couple steps back. Anne landed back on her feet, keeping her grip on her Keyblade as she then ran around Riku hoping to find an opening. She ran at the Keyblade Master, swinging at him. Riku saw it coming and quickly leaned back, dodging yet again. Anne tried yet again, this time, running behind him before throwing her Keyblade at him. Riku was caught off guard by the attack and was knocked forward from the Keyblade hitting his back. He stumbled, but regained his balance as Anne's Keyblade returned to her hand.

She smiled triumphantly. "Alright! How do ya like that?!"

However, her victory was short lived as Riku cast the healing spell on himself, rolling his shoulder. "Not bad. But can you counter this?"

Before Anne could even react, he pointed his Keyblade at her, yelling, "Stop!"

Anne saw a flash before she suddenly found herself frozen in place, unable to move an inch as something bound her, as if time had forced her to stop. She couldn't defend herself as Riku moved in for the attack, slashing at her with his Keyblade.

"Whoa..." Chase's jaw dropped from the stands as he and the others watched. Clair looked just as surprised.

It was then that the spell wore off as Anne staggered, feeling pain from the attacks she had received while frozen. "What... what was that?!" she winced, holding her arm as it throbbed.

"That was the Stop spell. It lets the user stop time for an opponent and keep them frozen in place for the user to attack, at least until the spell wears off." Riku explained as he let his Keyblade hang at his side for a moment.

Anne then cast Cure to heal the injuries she had sustained before preparing to attack again. Once she felt the pain vanish, the brown haired girl dashed at Riku, swinging her Keyblade as fast as she could, trying to deliver a type of blitz attack. She did manage to land a blow on him, but he jumped away, landing just a few feet away from her.

"That's pretty good... but there's something else you should know when fighting."

Anne rose an eyebrow as she prepared herself. "What is it?"

"Always keep your eye on your opponent."

Then, much to Anne's surprise, Riku vanished in a dark blur before she suddenly something hit her side, making her stagger from the blow. She looked up just in time to see Riku before he disappeared again. Almost immediately after Riku vanished, Anne felt something hit her again, realizing that it was Riku's Keyblade. She felt another attack hit her from behind before yet another one rammed her in the side. It was as if Riku was attacking her from all angles.

Anne attempted to lift her Keyblade to try and block, but Riku was too fast. He finished his attack by diving down and slamming his Keyblade on the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked Anne right off her feet.

Anne grunted as she landed on her back roughly, still feeling the blows that were dealt from Riku's Keyblade. She let out a cough, pushing herself up into a sitting position with a wince. "Oh, man, that hurt..."

Riku banished his Keyblade as he walked to Anne. "That was pretty good, but you still need practice." he told the girl as he held his hand out to her. Anne accepted it as Riku pulled her to her feet.

"Thanks..." she told him with a wince, then cast Cure to heal her injuries again before dismissing her weapon.

The two returned to the group in the stands, where Chase, Clair, and Dylan were looking gobsmacked at the skills Riku displayed.

"No wonder he's called a Keyblade Master..." Clair said to herself.

"Are you okay?" Dylan asked Anne, who gave a shrug.

"Feeling better already." she told him, cracking a smile while thankful that she cast Cure.

Philoctetes smirked with approval after seeing the spar. "Now that's definitely a good fighter there! That guy's definitely quick on his feet and knows his way through a fight."

As the silver haired teen took a seat, Phil glanced at the team, noticing a few looked a bit tired from the recent training matches. He then let out a sigh. "Okay, people, fifteen minute break!"

Some of the group let out sighs of relief. "Oh, thank you..." Anne muttered, slouching where she was sitting.

As the teammates began to relax, Clair looked over where Riku was sitting. "Hey, Riku? What was that spell you used there? The one that froze Anne?"

Riku looked over his shoulder at the mage in training. "That? That was the Stop spell. It lets the user make time stop for a target long enough to attack them. It's not among the basic spells."

Clair made a mental note about this as she gave a nod. This sounded like a rather useful spell.

Off to the side, Dylan glanced at Anne. "You did pretty well in that fight." he commented.

"Thanks. Well, at least I know not to let an opponent out of my sight, huh?" asked Anne.

Dylan gave a nod. "Maybe with some more practice, you'll get better."

"Maybe you will, too." Anne replied, but it was then that Dylan noticed she seemed to be thinking about something.

"What's on your mind, Annie?" he asked softly.

The brown haired teen paused, but then sighed. "It's about our world... do you think that... our parents made it out safely?" she asked, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the pendant that her mother had given her before their world had fallen into darkness.

Dylan remembered himself asking the same question to Chase just a while ago, and how he had responded. If he was positive that their mother made it out alive, then Anne's family most likely managed to escape, as well. "Yeah... I think so. They _are_ your parents, after all."

Remembering how her father could be sometimes, Anne softly chuckled as she put the pendant back in her pocket. Her smile fell as she then asked, "Do you think... we'll see them again?"

Dylan placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think we will. I'm sure that we'll see our parents again sometime. And Boomer, too."

The brunette glanced over at him before smiling lightly. "Thanks, Dyl..." she told him with appreciation before she turned to chat with Clair.

Dylan cracked as smile, but then noticed his brother giving him a knowing smirk, making him raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." Chase just smirked as he leaned back casually. He was _so_ going to tease them about this later.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a dark area near a cliff that overlooked the city near Mount Olympus, Hades was pacing back and forth. To say that he was a little irked about being refused a deal by a mortal and hearing that the boy with the Keyblade was back was an understatement.

"Ugh, fantastic!" he gritted out, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Blunder-boy's friends are back, which means they're gonna be a REAL thorn in my side!" His hair flashed red for a moment before turning to blue again. "They'll just get in the way again, just like before, and the last time..."

He frowned upon remembering the last couple of times he tried to eliminate Hercules. Each of them ended in failure.

"Why don't you just get rid of them?" Pain asked sheepishly from where he and Panic were standing.

Hades turned around and glared at his lackeys. "What do you think I've been trying to do?!" he snapped, the flames on his head turning into an inferno as the two imps flinched and backed away. But then, a lightbulb went off in the god of the Underworld's head. "Wait a second..."

The flames died down yet again as he calmed down, beginning to think. "Maybe... I can kill two birds with one stone."

A smirk crept up on his face as he eyed the city below. "Whaddya say we cause some chaos, eh, boys?"

* * *

Back in Hercules's secret training area, the group of four were still eating. Jason didn't show it, but he secretly thought that the food was delicious.

"... so then Phil made me set all the statues that I knocked down back over." Hercules said as he finished telling a story about an incident he had while helping at the coliseum. "You guys should have seen how red Phil's face got when that weight I tossed hit the first statue."

Meg smiled and shook her head with amusement as Pegasus whinnied, almost sounding like a laugh. Even Jason cracked a small smile.

However, the light mood was cut off by a distant explosion. They flinched at the sound.

"What was that?" Megara asked. Herc was already at his feet and running out of the clearing. Jason leapt to his feet as he quickly followed him with Meg and Pegasus on his tail.

Jason followed Hercules to a cliffside, where he saw the hero looking out at something. "What is it?" he asked, but as soon as he saw what he was looking at, he skidded to a halt.

Down in the city they had passed through earlier, he could see smoke emitting from several buildings and even hear distant screams. "What the..."

Herc narrowed his eyes. "Meg, Jason, warn Sora in the coliseum. Quickly. Tell them that I'll be in the city."

"Wait, what are you doing?" Jason asked.

The hero turned to look at the teen. "I've gotta get down there. If that's what I think it is, then I've gotta stop it. I need you to go find Sora and the others and get down to the city to help. That includes the one you were fighting with earlier, if she's part of your group, that is."

Jason frowned at the thought. "Wait, Aurora?! No way! I'm not working with Miss High and Mighty after she-"

"Jason." Hercules was stern. "You have to put that aside for now. People's lives could be at stake here."

The teen clenched his fist, but reluctantly sighed, realizing that the hero was right. "... fine."

"Good. Pegasus, take them to the coliseum!" Hercules told his winged steed, who nodded his head and quickly trotted over to Megara, who then helped Jason up. Pegasus gave a whinny before he flew up into the air.

"WHOA!" Jason cried out, not expecting this as he held on tightly. He could see the vast scenery below him as Pegasus soared through the air, flapping his wings. Jason saw various bushes, trees, paths, and structures on the mountain while Pegasus flew. He could even see several things that they had passed before on their way up to the coliseum a while ago.

"Where do you think your friend is?" Meg asked over the wind.

"She is not my friend, and since she got kicked out of the coliseum, too, she's probably off training somewhere else."

"Think. Where would she go?"

Jason thought, but he didn't know this world well enough to pinpoint a location. "I don't know, maybe somewhere along the mountain? Her homeland had lots of mountains. That much I know."

"Pegasus, keep flying around. Jason, see if you can spot her." Megara instructed as Pegasus began to circle around the mountain, flying high and low.

Why did the mountain have to be so big?

Jason mentally groaned, but it was then he noticed a figure in a clearing near a cliff. He took a closer look and realized it was Aurora training. "There she is."

Pegasus then flew down to where Jason pointed. As the white winged horse descended, Aurora heard the sound of his wings flapping and paused practicing her swings as she looked up. She did a double take upon seeing Pegasus flying down, but she managed to keep her composure.

"Aurora!" Jason called before Pegasus landed on the ground.

Aurora narrowed her eyes at Jason. "What do you want, numbskull?"

"There's an emergency." Meg said. "We need both of you."

Aurora scoffed. "I'm not going anywhere with him."

Jason frowned at her. "This is no time for you to be acting high-and-mighty!"

He was still mad about what she had called Clair, but had to push that aside at the moment.

"There's something going on down in the city, and all of us need to go there, so get on the horse!"

She scoffed and turned away. "Go away."

Jason groaned and grabbed her arm. "Just come on!"

The raven haired girl then punched him. Jason's head jerked back, but he frowned and grabbed her again, this time yanking her up onto Pegasus's back. She then kicked him and tried to get off. However, Pegasus took to the sky once more.

"Let me off this thing!" Aurora yelled as she tried to climb off Pegasus.

"Not a good idea." Jason said. "Cause we are very high off the ground right now."

Even Aurora had sense to see that.

"Wow, you two really hate each other, huh?" Meg asked sarcastically.

Aurora looked away. Jason averted his eyes as well.

"I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the group in the coliseum were just about to get back to training.

Chase had gotten himself hydrated. He was very grateful there was water for them. Clair sat next to him reading a spellbook to see what other spells it had.

As for Anne, she was now practicing working on her swings. She was doing rather well, showing some improvement as she did.

It was then a whinny filled the air. Sora looked up and saw Pegasus flying into the coliseum. "Hey, it's Pegasus!"

Anne gasped at the sight, taking a step back. Chase did a spit take upon seeing Pegasus flying down. "A flying horse?" he asked.

Clair's jaw dropped while Dylan's eyes bugged out at the sight. "Now I've seen everything."

Riku rose an eyebrow, but shook it off. It was then Sora noticed Meg, Jason, and Aurora atop of Pegasus as he landed.

"Guys!" Jason called.

"Jason? Aurora?'

"There's an attack going on in the city! Hercules went to stop it!"

"He told us to tell you to head into the city!" Meg added.

Clair nodded. "Let's go."

"Before a certain someone sees you two back on this mountain." Chase added.

Jason and Aurora got off Pegasus. "I'll go see how bad things are in the city." Meg told them.

"Hey! Hey, wait up!" Phil exclaimed as he ran over to Pegasus. Megara saw him and helped the satyr up onto the horse's back.

"Let's go, Pegasus!" Meg then said as the horse took off.

"YAAAAH-HOOOO!" Philoctetes whooped as the three flew out of the coliseum.

Sora quickly turned to the group. "You think it's a Heartless?!"

"Gotta be!" Donald said as he hopped up to his feet.

"Then we need to go." Anne said with a nod.

Sora quickly ran to the hallway leading out of the coliseum with the rest of the team on his tail. It was a good thing, because they heard thunder rumbling.

Within a few minutes, they made it out into the courtyard that led back out to the mountain.

"Sounds like the big guy noticed us." Chase remarked as he looked up at the darkening clouds, then back at Jason and Aurora. "Or rather, you two."

"Yeah, I can see that!" Jason retorted just as they ran out the doors and down the steps. The thunder eventually died down as they left.

Anne did everything she could not to look down after they passed the clouds that surrounded the coliseum. However, she failed. She gasped and nearly lost her balance as she ran down the stairs, but managed to regain it as she resumed running, trying not to panic all the way. "Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down..." she repeated to herself quickly in an effort to calm down.

The stairs soon ended, revealing the path that they had walked earlier. Quickly, they ran down it, rounding the corner as they descended down the road.

Realizing Anne's fear, Clair took her vest off. "Use this as a blindfold. It should help."

"We're running down stairs. Do you really think that's the smartest move?" Jason asked her.

Clair paused to think about it, realizing Jason was right as she put her vest back on. "... good point."

The stairs soon ended, revealing the path that they had walked earlier. Quickly, they ran down it, rounding the corner as they descended down the road. Anne sighed. "Ah. My feet on solid ground again. So much better!"

They ran under a couple arches, passing by a couple old statues as they ran. It was then a few Heartless materialized in front of them, blocking their path.

"Get out of our way!" Sora exclaimed as he summoned his Keyblade.

The group sliced through them. Anne then noticed a Heartless she hadn't seen before. It looked to be a Soldier, but with a different color scheme and it had wings.

"Air Soldier! Watch out!" Goofy warned as it swooped down at them. Anne threw out her Keyblade to try and block the blow. However, the force of the blow did make her stumble as she didn't dig her feet into the ground well enough. She grunted as this happened.

The Air Soldier used this to its advantage and rammed into her again, forcing her back. Anne cringed, but pushed herself back up to her feet as she slashed at the Heartless. She landed a hit, making the airborne creature stumble. While it was caught off guard, Anne slammed her Keyblade down on it a couple times before delivering a final blow, killing it as it released a heart it held. It was then another attempted to attack her and she found herself facing off against it.

A Soldier tried to slice Chase with its claws, but the speedster zipped out of the way, appearing by its side and slamming his foot into it. As it was sent staggering towards Clair, she attacked it with a couple hits from her Keyblade, destroying it as yet another heart floated into the air. "Nice one!" Chase praised, giving a thumbs up.

Clair gave him a smile before quickly returning her attention to the battle. Jason prepared himself as another Soldier charged at him, then swung his Keyblade like a bat, slamming it right into the Heartless. It regained its balance and tried to attack, but Jason quickly moved out of the way, remembering some of the training tips he had received from Hercules. He then slammed his Keyblade into the Soldier's back as it passed by, destroying the Heartless.

A couple Shadows appeared around Dylan, who readied his sword as he slashed through one of them. Chase raced to his brother's aid. He slammed his foot into the other Shadow, catching it off guard and allowing Dylan to stab it. The two high-fived as the Shadow was killed.

An Air Soldier was facing off against Jason and Aurora. Clair tensed when she saw that. She could tell something bad was going to happen.

Aurora darted at the Heartless first, swinging her Keyblade at it. She landed a blow on it, making it stumble in the air. Jason ran past her, jumping up and sliced at the flying Heartless. Aurora then finished it off.

Clair could feel that something was going to happen, and she wasn't going to like it.

Jason saw another Air Soldier swoop down to attack. He braced himself as he gripped his Keyblade in his hands tightly before giving a swing, smacking the Heartless right where its head was. The Air Soldier was sent spiraling towards Aurora, who had to duck. "Watch it!" she yelled at him.

"You think I can control where these things go?" Jason growled.

"Well, don't smack it towards me, next time!" she retorted as she hit the Air Soldier back at him. Jason quickly moved out of the way as it was sent flying past him... straight towards Anne, who was facing off against another Air Soldier near the edge of the cliff.

Dylan gasped when he saw what was about to happen. "NO!"

Jason whirled around to see what was happening as Aurora looked over his shoulder.

Anne's eyes widened as the Air Soldier rammed into her before she could even block it. She gasped as she was knocked off her feet and sent flying over the edge of the cliff, letting out a scream, much to everyone's shock. "AAAAAAHHHH!"

"ANNE!" Dylan and Chase yelled in horror.

"Oh no!" Kairi gasped at the sight.

The teenager screamed as she fell over the edge, but thankfully, there was a tree branch jutting out of the cliffside that she managed to grab, holding on for dear life.

Sora sliced through the last Heartless in the area as everyone ran to the cliff and peered over the edge, seeing Anne clinging onto the tree branch tightly with a wide eyed, terrified look. Anne's heart was beating so fast she was sure it was going to burst out of her chest as she struggled not to look down. "H-Help!"

"Hold on, Anne!" Goofy called to their teammate.

Jason quickly began looking around for something to use. He then found a nearby tree branch lying down and quickly picked it up, lowering it towards Anne. "Grab on!"

Anne made the mistake of looking down and yelped, clinging onto the branch tighter than before.

"Don't look down. Look at us! Look at me." Dylan called to her.

Anne looked up at them, struggling not to panic. "Dylan?!"

"Anne, It's okay, you're gonna be okay." Dylan told her, trying to calm her down.

"Just don't look down. Grab onto the branch. We'll pull you up." Jason said to her.

The branch that Anne was holding onto was starting to give out, making her gasp.

"Grab on! Quickly!" Clair called.

Fearing for her life, Anne reached out and took hold of the other branch, holding on tightly just as the previous one she held onto broke off, falling down the cliffside.

"Okay, pull!" Dylan said as he grabbed the branch with Jason, helping him pull Anne to safety. As soon as Anne was close enough, he reached out and grabbed her hand as the two pulled her up. She collapsed onto the ground with a gasp as Chase and Dylan quickly knelt down to check on her with Clair following shortly behind.

"Oh man, are you okay?!" Chase asked, worried for their friend. Anne took deep, shuddering breaths as she tried to calm down as Dylan held her shoulders.

"It's okay! You're okay, Annie..."

"I-I-I almost..."

Anne, still shook by the near-death experience, clung onto Dylan tightly as she trembled. Dylan was a bit surprised by her action, but wrapped his arms around her to try and comfort her.

Jason took a look over the cliff, his mind thinking about what almost happened. Someone almost died... and he couldn't help but feel responsible. Because of a fight he and Aurora had at the wrong place at the wrong time, they almost got her killed.

No one said a word, but everyone agreed that they needed to wait until Anne recovered from her near-death experience before continuing. Well, almost everyone. "We need to keep moving." Aurora said as she looked out at the distance at the city below.

"Give her a minute." Dylan growled.

"We don't have a minute." Aurora said impatiently. "In case you've all forgotten, there's an attack going on in that city down there."

"And someone almost died because we weren't careful!" Jason snapped.

The teen shook her head. "No. Someone nearly died because you were being an idiot."

Jason frowned. "Are you kidding me?! You're the one who smacked that Heartless towards her!"

"Don't pin this on me, jerk." She growled.

Chase frowned. "Knock it off, guys!"

"Hey, I know it's my fault, too!" Jason retorted at Aurora.

"Oh, good. An intellectual insight." Aurora said. "Admitting you're as dumb as her for not getting out of the way."

"I didn't see you try to help her."

"She's just dead weight."

"Don't call her that!" Dylan frowned. Chase looked just as set off as the group shot her looks of disapproval.

"SHUT IT!" Clair snapped at both of them, having enough of this.

Aurora looked at her coldly. "Oh, finally growing a spine?"

"BOTH OF YOU, ENOUGH!" she yelled.

"Or what?" Aurora asked.

The answer Clair gave was to slug Aurora across the face. Hard. "Or I'll knock every tooth out of your thick skull!" While the teen was down, she continued, "All you've done is try to do things your way. Guess what? Your way isn't working. Now you're going to shut up and listen." She then glared at Jason. "BOTH of you."

Aurora was surprised at Clair's response, as was Jason. Just about everyone was.

"Your arguments, your fights, have gotten out of hand. Trying to break his skull open? Not working as a team? Your attitudes are going to kill us all, and then what will happen to our homes? Our families? Xehanort will destroy them all."

"You're trying reason?" Aurora got punched again.

"That's the only reason you seem to listen to." Clair growled. "And I've had it! I'm sick and tired of you two going at each other like narpols and jurdas, so from now on, you're going to bury the hatchet. Together. Or else, so help me, I'll curse you two myself!"

Aurora scoffed. Furious, Clair said something, and everyone saw Aurora change into a white rabbit, which Clair grabbed by the ears. "I mean it!"

"Whoa!" Chase exclaimed.

Aurora's eyes widened. Jason took a step back. He had never seen this side to his cousin before. When did she get so... fierce...?

Sora, though shocked at what they had just witnessed, took a step forward. "Clair is right. Your arguments are just going to put the group in more danger. Right now, there are bigger things going on. Things more important than why you can't stand each other. Whatever reasons you've got, they need to go away. Otherwise, you'll get yourselves and possibly others killed. Can either of you live with that?"

Jason and the currently rabbit Aurora exchanged a look.

"I didn't think so."

Now, both of you need to bury the hatchet." Clair told the two. "Only then will I change you back, Aurora. And not a second sooner."

Aurora made some squeaking and chittering noises in protest.

"Do you WANT to stay a rabbit?"

The bunny paused, looking like she was thinking of something.

Jason was deep in thought. This encounter taught him something. If someone had been killed because of him, he wouldn't be able to live with that. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

He then looked at the rabbit Aurora. What was she thinking?

She seemed hesitant, but made a chitter.

"So you'll listen and get along, now?"

Aurora squeaked as Jason let out a sigh, still feeling guilty about what had happened. "Fine..."

Clair nodded with approval as she looked at Aurora, remembering the words to break the spell. She spoke them and in a flash, Aurora was human again, although Clair was holding onto one of her ears. She then let go. "Now, both of you stop fighting or I'll do that again next time."

The two looked away from each other.

It was then the sound of feet scuffling on the ground could be heard. The group turned and saw that Anne had recovered and was pushing herself back up to her feet.

"Are you okay, now...?" Dylan asked her gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Anne muttered as she got up, not looking at Aurora. "Let's get going..."

The group then quickly resumed their journey down the mountain. Aurora hesitated for a moment before following shortly behind.

* * *

Hercules grunted as he punched a Heartless away as he ran through the streets of the city. Several civillians were running to safety past him while a couple tried to put out the fires. It was complete chaos with the Heartless causing mayhem.

The demigod then noticed a child ahead of him had tripped and fallen down. The child screamed in fear as a Heartless lunged to attack him. "Watch out!" Hercules warned as he rushed forward, punching the Heartless away.

"Hercules!" The boy gasped.

"Hurry! Get somewhere safe!"

The boy shakily nodded before he scrambled to to his feet and ran away. Hercules turned back to the Heartless. "Pick on someone your own size!"

The creature of darkness lunged to attack, but suddenly, a Keyblade slashed through it, destroying the Heartless. Hercules turned around and saw Sora and the others arriving as Sora's Keyblade returned to his hand. "Hey, Herc! Sorry we're late!"

"Better late than never!"

Kairi looked around with shock at what was happening. The city they had passed through just a few hours ago was now in utter chaos with some buildings on fire and people running to find safety.

"We need to get these fires taken care of. Then-!" Riku began, but was cut off when the ground suddenly shook beneath them.

"Whoa!" Chase exclaimed as he flailed his arms, losing his balance as he landed on his side.

"What's going on?!" Anne called, but then the ground shook again as they heard a thud. A shadow then loomed over them menacingly as they looked up, finding the cause of the tremors. Donald squawked at the sight.

In front of them stood a huge Heartless that seemed to be made of boulders. It had large, yellow orbs for eyes and a crooked mouth as the Heartless emblem was atop its head. Its body was a light purple color and appeared to have golden armor on its shoulders with a spike on both shoulders. It appeared to have chains around its neck and wrists as the giant Heartless held an axe that had the same face as it did.

Sora's eyes widened. "Oh boy..."

In a shady area on a nearby cliff near the city, Hades smirked as he watched. "Now things are getting interesting! Time to rumble!"

* * *

 **Wow, this was a long chapter. Longest one for the story so far. Special thanks to DinoWriter23 for helping me write this chapter. You were a really big help, pal.**


	28. This is Halloween

The giant Heartless stomped on the ground as it stormed towards the team.

"Here it comes!" Lea warned, summoning his Keyblade quickly. The Heartless raised its axe high above its head, preparing to slam it down. The group scattered as the Heartless slammed its axe into the ground, causing some of the ground to break apart.

Chase used his speed to dodge some rubble that flew up. Dylan unsheathed his sword as he got ready.

Anne ran to his side, calling forth her Keyblade. "You ready?!"

"Yeah!" Dylan nodded.

The two ran around the massive stone-like Heartless until they were behind it. Anne threw her Keyblade at the Heartless, which nicked it in the back before returning to her hand. Lightning crackled on Dylan's sword as he concentrated, then cast the thunder spell, zapping the Heartless.

However, their attacks apparently barely fazed the creature of darkness, as it had turned around and glowered at them menacingly as it attempted to hit them with its axe again.

"Watch out!" Dylan yelled before he and Anne leapt out of the way, the axe missing them by inches as it caused more rubble to fly up.

Lea ran forward as he formed a fireball in his hand. "Heads up!"

Seeing this, Anne and Dylan quickly scrambled out of the way to avoid getting caught in the crossfire as Lea threw the fireball at the boulder-like Heartless while it was distracted. The Heartless recoiled from it, taking a step back.

Goofy charged at it with his shield, ramming it into its knee, but it barely fazed the large creature of darkness. Goofy yelped as he quickly ran out of the way while it attempted to stomp on him.

The Heartless then charged at Sora and Chase, its footsteps shaking the ground as it did. "Chase!"

"Yep!" Chase exclaimed as he took hold of Sora's shoulder, zipping out of the way just as the Heartless slammed its axe down. Sora could feel the wind hitting his face as Chase circled behind the monster. He nearly stumbled from Chase suddenly stopping, but he quickly recovered before charging forward, leaping up and jumping onto the creature's back. The spiky haired teen then ran up its back and slammed his Keyblade onto its head a couple times before landing on the ground.

The Heartless stomped the ground again, nearly knocking Sora off his feet.

Aurora ran past Sora, getting ready to attack as she called her Keyblade to her hand. It did notice her and attempted to swipe at the teen, but she did a flip, managing to avoid being grabbed. Remembering her training she had done earlier, she prepared herself as the Heartless prepared to attack, then did a somersault to avoid it. Aurora then jumped up to her feet and hit the Heartless in the arm. However, she was caught off guard when it managed to smack her with its massive arm, sending her tumbling back. She cringed in pain as she rolled before coming to a halt.

As the Heartless attempted to attack the group again, Riku cast a Fire spell, halting it in its tracks. It raised its axe again and Riku rolled out of the way, barely dodging it.

"Watch out for the Boulder Ogre!" Lea called.

"'Boulder Ogre'? That's the best you could come up with?" Riku managed to retort, not taking his eyes off the enemy in front of them.

"What, you got a better name for it?" the pyro shot back.

"Is now really the time to argue about this?" Kairi called to them as she readied her flowery Keyblade. "Light!"

She shot an orb of light at the newly dubbed Boulder Ogre, which managed to hit it in the shoulder. The dark creature recoiled from the attack, but regained its balance once more.

Jason charged at the Boulder Ogre next, gripping his Keyblade tightly as he swung at its foot, landing a hit on it. The Heartless raised its foot to stomp him, but the brown haired teen quickly moved out of the way as the foot made contact with the ground. Before the Heartless could turn around to attack him, Jason slammed his Keyblade into the back of its leg, which managed to deal a bit of damage, as the blow had made the large Heartless stumble.

Clair eyed the ground below the Heartless. Maybe if it lost its balance, then it'd be easier to attack...

An idea then popped into her head as she remembered the spar between her and Chase earlier. "Stand clear, everyone!" she warned as she prepared herself. Jason looked over his shoulder to see his cousin preparing to use a spell, so he quickly moved out of the way, as did the others. Aurora pushed herself back to her feet just as Clair cried out, "Freeze!"

The teen shot the Blizzard spell at the ground beneath the Boulder Ogre, coating it with ice. She cast it once more to freeze the ground again. The Boulder Ogre began to slip, trying to keep its balance before it ended up falling flat on its back. "Let's get 'em!" Donald declared before they charged in to attack while it was down.

Anne leapt up and brought her Keyblade down on the monster's chest, then hit it again. Chase focused, casting Thunder on the creature to damage it just as his brother attacked as well. Aurora leapt into the air and plunged her Keyblade into the Heartless as well.

It was then the Heartless suddenly swiped at them with its arm, sending them all tumbling back. The Boulder Ogre then pushed itself back to its feet yet again as it gripped its axe tightly.

"I think we made it angry..." Anne muttered with a wince as she pushed herself back up.

The Heartless stomped the ground twice with its foot before it attacked them with its battle axe.

Riku threw out his hand, using the Reflect spell as a transparent barrier briefly appeared around him, causing the axe to bounce off before it could hit any of them. The Heartless took a step back from that, but then caught them off guard with a powerful swing, sending them flying back once more.

Jason winced as he landed on his arm, but brushed it off as he pushed himself up.

"How are we gonna beat this thing?!" Dylan asked.

"Use your head!" Lea replied, groaning as he shook off the pain from the attack.

Hercules lit up as he got an idea. "Oh..." he said with a smirk, then crouched down. Before anyone could ask, he barreled straight towards the Boulder Ogre and rammed his head into the Heartless. The force of the blow caused the large Heartless to fall flat on its back. Jason nearly did a double take at what the demigod did.

"Now, guys!" Hercules called.

Sora charged forward first before leaping up and swinging the Kingdom Key down on the Heartless.

"FIRA!" Donald squawked as he shot a fireball from his staff, which managed to hit the rock like monster. Goofy spun around like a tornado with his shield, landing a couple blows on it. Riku jumped onto a nearby wall as a familiar aura appeared around him. He activated Flowmotion as he performed a Kick Dive, drilling into the creature's side before finishing the attack with a powerful slam of his Keyblade.

While the Heartless was still down, Hercules slammed his fist into it. A loud thud was heard from his punch, but the Boulder Ogre climbed up and stood straight as it stomped the ground again, causing more rubble to fly up. The demigod was hit by a piece of the ground, causing him to be knocked back. A bruise was already beginning to form.

"Herc!" Sora yelled as he saw his friend get knocked aside.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me! Just focus on defeating this thing!" the hero told him as he got back to his feet.

"Thunder!" Dylan yelled as he cast the spell. The bolts of lighting rained down and hit the large Heartless, which seemed to irritate it even more. Chase used his super speed and darted at the Heartless while carrying a piece of rubble with him, though it was a bit heavy to him. It did slow him down, but just a little, not as much as the weights in the coliseum did. He let out a yell as he chucked the rubble at the Heartless, nailing it in the knee. This caused it to kneel down, giving them yet another opening.

Aurora used this opportunity and ran at the Boulder Ogre, hitting it a couple times with her Keyblade. Jason ran past her, delivering a blow to the Heartless's fist in an attempt to make it drop its axe, which it was still holding. Seeing that it didn't work the first time, he hit it again, harder this time. However, the Heartless kept a firm grip.

He then noticed the Heartless beginning to stand up again and quickly backed away. The Boulder Ogre then slammed its axe down where Aurora and Jason were in an effort to hit them. The two quickly got out of the way just in time, avoiding more rubble that flew up. The axe ended up stuck in the ground, forcing the dark creature to have to try and yank it out. Aurora saw this and quickly hit it in the arm, managing to deal more damage. The Heartless then suddenly reached at her, snatching her up before tossing her straight at Jason.

Before he could even react, Aurora was slammed right into him. The two grunted in pain as they were sent tumbling back before eventually landing in a dogpile. "Get off!" Aurora frowned.

"You get off!" Jason retorted as the two pushed each other off.

"Anne!" Clair called as the brown haired girl ran to her side.

"Need a hand?!" she asked before the two girls charged forward. Clair cast Blizzard on the ground, freezing it. Anne nearly fell flat on her side, flailing her arms a little, but managed to slide along the ice towards the Heartless.

"Whoa!" she cried out as she saw she was rapidly approaching the Heartless. Getting her Keyblade ready, she leapt up into the air after the trail of ice ended and slashed at its arm. Clair then readied her own Keyblade before she charged forward, sliding across the ice herself and stabbed it.

The Heartless recoiled, but it soon recovered and swiped at them. Anne and Clair had to dodge as it attempted to grab them. Kairi then cast Blizzard at its feet, freezing them solid, only for it to break free shortly after.

"It just keeps coming!" Lea frowned as he shot another fireball at the Boulder Ogre to try and force it back.

It was then Sora felt something resonate within him... a light ready to come out. Was this the new abilities that were bestowed upon him with his new outfit?

Sora realized that now was the time to tap into the power. Otherwise, this fight would not end well for any of them. He closed his eyes, focusing as he felt the light grow stronger. Sora then let out a yell, crying out, "Give me strength!"

Before anyone could react, a bright light coated Sora, forcing a few of the group to squint. By the time the light died down, they were shocked to see that Sora's outfit had changed. Instead of the usual red and black colors, they had changed to yellow and gray. His jacket had become yellow with a gray hood and checkered pattern on his shoulders while the pockets on his jacket became a light brown. His pants now had the same checkered pattern as his shoulders did. Sora could feel the power coursing through this form. It almost reminded him of the Master Drive, but it also felt different.

"His clothes change, now?!" Chase exclaimed in shock.

Suddenly, Sora's Keyblade began to glow brightly before it started to transform, taking on a different shape. When the light vanished, his Keyblade had turned into a sort of shield with a golden lightning bolt in the center with the surrounding area made up of a cloud shape. He did a double take upon seeing his transformed weapon. "Whoa, this is new!"

"Gawrsh!" Goofy gasped in awe as he did a double take. "Sora, where'd you learn that?!"

Anne couldn't believe what she was seeing as her jaw dropped. Just how many abilities did Sora have?!

Sora clenched his free hand as he glared up at the Boulder Ogre. "Time to end this!"

The spiky haired teen charged towards the Heartless with his transformed weapon in hand. The Heartless raised its axe to attack him, but Sora thought quickly and slid out of the way as the Boulder Ogre made contact with the ground. Remembering one of Goofy's moves, he tried it out, spinning around and hitting the Heartless with his shield a few times. "Yeah!"

Hercules, though shocked by the display of Sora's new power, snapped out of it and helped his friend out, charging at the beast head on once more and ramming it in its side. While the Heartless was distracted, Sora jumped up, holding his shield in front of him as large, golden fists suddenly shot out of it, punching the Heartless.

Sora leapt back, shocked by the power of this new Drive Form. "This is amazing!" he said to himself as he looked at his changed outfit.

"Sora, watch out!" Dylan warned as he saw the Boulder Ogre regaining its balance. Sora saw it swing at him, so he quickly rolled out of the way.

Jason then noticed that the Heartless's moves seemed more sluggish. "It's wearing down!"

"Let's finish it off!" Riku declared as he brandished Way to Dawn. Kairi threw her Keyblade at the Heartless, managing to hit it where its face was before her Keyblade returned to her hand. Riku then zipped towards the creature of darkness, concentrating as much as he could. "FIRAGA!"

A large, powerful fireball erupted from his Keyblade and rammed straight into the Boulder Ogre, nearly knocking it onto its back. Since it was distracted, Dylan was able to run under its feet and slice its leg with his sword a couple times. Anne aimed at the Heartless and cast a Fire spell as well, damaging it even more. "Take that!"

Sora felt his new Drive Form's power resonate as he focused on the Heartless in front of him, holding his transformed Keyblade in front of him before holding it over his head as a golden orb suddenly shot down, hitting the shield. The orb transformed into golden rays that rained down on the large Heartless, which was clearly hurting it.

In a last ditch attempt to attack, it swung its weapon at them, but its movement was sloppy and it missed entirely. Hercules and Jason then rushed at the Heartless together, with the demigod slamming his fist into its leg and Jason slashing it with his Keyblade.

Sora slammed his shield into the Heartless as Kairi ran forward and dealt the final blow.

The Boulder Ogre shuddered for a moment before stumbling backwards, falling onto its back. It then went still as its body vanished into wisps of darkness as a large, crystalized heart floated out of it. The Boulder Ogre was no more.

With a sigh of relief, Sora relaxed as his shield transformed back into his Keyblade just as his clothes returned to normal. He did feel a bit exhausted, but at least they had won...

Hercules wiped some sweat off his forehead now that the fight was over. "It's gone... we did it..."

Anne sat down, letting out a sigh. "Oh man... that was intense..."

Chase was far from tired after seeing Sora unleash a new power. "Dude, what was that back there?! How did you do that?!" he asked eagerly.

Sora looked over at the speedy teen, managing to crack a smile. "That? That was Drive Form. It's a special ability I can use. It changes my clothes while it grants me certain powers for a short amount of time. But the Keyblade transforming was new, though."

Aurora dusted herself off, remaining silent as she tried to shake off the pain she had endured during the battle. She noticed Anne out of the corner of her eye, but Anne's face fell as she averted her gaze.

A whinny then filled the air as Pegasus flew down to the group. Megara and Phil climbed off his back before Meg rushed over to them. "We managed to evacuate most of the people! Some almost got trapped, but we pulled them out."

Herc smiled with relief. "Good job. Thanks, Meg..."

Phil scrambled over to them, seeing the damage that had been done during the battle. "Holy Hera, this is gonna be a real pain in the patella to fix!"

"Nothing we can't handle. Remember we had to repair the coliseum before? We can repair the city, too." Hercules smiled at his friend and coach.

Philoctetes hesitated, but sighed as he nodded with agreement. Pegasus was relieved to see his best friend was alright and gave him a friendly headbutt, which barely fazed him.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Sora saw something start to glow behind a piece of rubble, which made him raise an eyebrow. He, Hercules, and Clair approached it, pushing it out of the way. They found the source of a glow was a piece of pottery, which Anne had recognized as the vase she had first seen the Muses appear on. "Hey, is that...?"

The vase then floated into the air as Sora realized what it meant. He held out his Keyblade in front of him as the vase shot a beam up into the sky, revealing a keyhole. Beams of light shot out from both Sora's, as well as Clair's Keyblades, as a click could be heard. The keyhole then vanished.

Hercules knew what this meant, as he had seen it happen before. "I take it this means you're leaving, now?"

Sora turned to his friend. "Yeah, we kinda are. You know, Heartless to fight, bad guys to stop, save the worlds... we could stick around a bit longer to help out here, if you want."

Herc shook his head. "Nah. We got it. You just do what you have to do." he told him. Sora sighed, giving a nod before smiling as he and the hero shook hands. "Be careful out there, everyone."

"And come back to visit sometime soon!" Phil added as he jumped up to gain their attention. "The city will most likely be repaired by then! And who knows, maybe a few tournaments will be held in the coliseum?"

Meg smiled. "Knowing these guys, they're bound to enter them."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy exchanged a smile hearing that as the satyr turned his attention to both Jason and Aurora. "And you two, you'd better learn to get along. Otherwise, Zeus ain't gonna be happy if both of ya are in the coliseum again."

Aurora stayed silent and looked away while Jason looked hesitant. Herc then approached Jason. "Hey, good luck out there. And remember the training, okay?"

Jason gave a nod. Hercules then added, "And also, try to listen to your heart more often. I know it might not be easy for you at first, but I'm sure you'll get there."

The teen didn't know what to say at that. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Pegasus suddenly headbutting him. "Ow! Again?!"

Pegasus let out a whinny that sounded like a laugh. Anne found herself snickering as Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Chase joined in on the laughter. Jason just groaned and rubbed his forehead.

* * *

Up on the cliff where Hades had been observing the fight, the god of the Underworld was fuming upon seeing that Sora, Hercules, and the others had triumphed and survived the fight. "NO! NOT AGAIN!" he snarled as he hurled a fireball at the wall, barely missing Pain, who cowered with Panic as they scrambled to hide behind a boulder. They did not want to get caught in the crossfire when their master was angry.

"IT WAS SO CLOSE!" Hades yelled as he burst into flames. "It should have squashed those little twerps!"

He was raging so much at this point that he didn't even notice the Gummi Ship soaring into the sky.

* * *

In Radiant Garden, the residents were all going about their daily business.

It was then a strange light started zipping down, moving around erratically before eventually crashing down in an alley. The light died down, revealing a certain mouse king lying flat on his stomach.

Mickey groaned as he pushed himself back up, rattling his head as he picked up the Star Shard he had used to travel to the world. It had been a while since had used it, but he always remembered how rough the landings could be. "I need to work on landing next time." he said to himself as he pocketed the shard, stepping out of the alley.

He then began to walk through the town, eventually arriving at the town square. He looked left and right, but saw no sign of Sora, Donald, Goofy, or the others. "Did I miss them...?" he wondered out loud.

It was then he noticed the Restoration Committee HQ. His eyes lit up. Maybe they were in there?

He rushed to the door and knocked on it, waiting patiently. A moment later, the door opened, revealing Leon. "Yes?" he asked, but then looked down and noticed the King. "Your Majesty?"

Mickey smiled. "Hiya, Leon. May I come in?"

The swordsman stepped aside, inviting him inside. The King stepped into the building as Leon shut the door behind him. Mickey looked around, seeing Yuffie and Aerith talking with each other while Merlin organized some of his things. However, he saw no sign of his friends. "Did Sora and everyone else leave, already?"

Leon gave a nod. "They left with the new guys a while ago, actually."

Mickey looked down with a sigh. "Oh..."

It looks like he was going to have to do some more travelling. He needed to tell them about the three who were lost years ago...

It was then Mickey noticed Cid at his computer like he usually was, but he was chatting with someone else. Leon followed his gaze. "Hm? Oh, that guy's been here for a little bit, now. Apparently, he and Merlin knew each other. Cid found out this guy knows a lot about Gummi blocks, so they've been talking about that for a while, now."

Mickey decided to approach them. As he did, he could hear some of the conversation.

"... you're kiddin' me!"

"Nope. This Gummi is quite special, after all." the man told Cid. Now that Mickey was closer, he realized the man had brown hair that stuck up and wore a brown pinstripe suit with a pair of converse shoes.

Mickey's eyes widened in shock upon recongizing the man. "No way! It's you!"

The two realized he was there and turned to him. The man's eyes lit up. "Mickey! It's been a while!"

Cid rose an eyebrow. "You know the King, too?"

"Yep. It's been a while since we've last seen each other, though. About ten or so years." the man replied as he walked over to the mouse king with a smile. "How've you been, old friend?"

"I've been traveling around a lot, helping keep the worlds safe." Mickey replied, smiling as he looked up at the man. "What about you?"

"I've been doing a lot of traveling to other worlds, myself. Those Heartless are quite a pain to deal with, though." he remarked. "So, what brings you, here?"

"Well, you see, I came because I needed to tell some friends of mine something rather important, but they've already left."

"I'm sorry." the man told him. "Maybe you'll catch them later?"

"They might be on another world... I should probably head out, now." Mickey turned to leave, but the man stopped him.

"Hold on. Before you go, would you like to have some tea?"

Mickey paused, then smiled. He certainly hadn't changed at all since he last saw him.

"I'd like that, Doctor..."

* * *

Back with Sora and the others, they were flying in the Lanes Between with the Gummi Ship, having entered another gateway that led to a world.

Currently, Dylan was checking on Anne. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Dyl. Don't worry." Anne assured him. Truth be told, she was still a little shaken from nearly falling off the cliff. And after hearing what Aurora called her, it made her feel a little upset.

Dylan looked at her uncertainly. "Well... you can still talk to me if you're not."

"I know... thanks, Dylan." Anne gave him a small smile.

Aurora stayed at the back of the Gummi Ship while Jason stayed on the other end, looking deep in thought. At least the two weren't arguing at the moment.

Chase was relieved to see his friend was doing alright before he headed over to Clair. "Hey..."

Clair looked away from the window. "Oh. Hi, Chase..." she greeted.

"That was pretty impressive the way you went off on those two earlier."

Clair sighed as she looked over at her cousin and Aurora. "Their fighting needs to stop. It's been going way too far, lately."

"Oh yeah..." Chase muttered with agreement as he followed her gaze. He then glanced at Anne. "That was a close call back there..."

Clair sighed. "We're gonna need to make sure nothing like that happens again."

Chase gave a nod as he decided to change the subject. "So... you're pretty good at those spells... you think you can teach me some of them?"

The teenage girl was a bit surprised at that, but nodded as she pulled out a spellbook. "Sure. It couldn't hurt." she remarked as she opened it, flipping to a page. "Well... why not a basic spell? Like Fire?"

The brown haired boy gave a smile. "Sure, why not?"

"Okay, like when we were training back at Merlin's, you should think about something you're passionate about when you cast it." Clair advised.

Chase smirked. "Piece of cake!" he remarked as he prepared himself, holding a hand in front of him as he tried to concentrate. "FIRE!"

BOOM!

The result was a small explosion that caused the Gummi Ship to shake a bit. Donald let out a squawk of surprise as he jumped out of his seat, landing on top of Goofy's shoulders. Anne's eyes widened as she gripped the sides of her seat tightly. "WHOA!"

Kairi coughed as she waved some smoke out of her face. Jason held onto the side to keep from losing his balance.

Sora looked over his seat in surprise. "What happened?!"

When the smoke cleared, it revealed Chase standing there mostly unharmed with soot comically covering his face, as well as some of his clothes, as his hair had been blown back from the blast. A strand of his hair was even singed. He blinked once with surprise before coughing, a small puff of smoke emerging from his mouth.

The group stared at him for a moment. Then Anne started to snicker quietly, covering her mouth to try and hide it. Dylan's lips curled up into a smile before he started laughing at the sight of his brother. Anne was unable to hold it back as she burst into laughter at what happened.

Sora started to chuckle before joining in on the laughter. Kairi covered her mouth and giggled as Riku and Lea chuckled at the scene before them. Goofy gave his signature laugh as Donald leaned against him for support as he guffawed. Jason even smirked.

Clair dusted some soot off before putting out the small flame on the strand of Chase's hair. "Maybe that was a little too much passion..." she said, giving a smile, despite what just happened.

Chase blinked again before he sheepishly chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as the team's laughter continued as he wiped the soot off his face with the help of Clair.

As Sora calmed down, he heard some beeping coming from the monitor. Keeping the ship steady, he pushed another button as he saw that they were approaching another world. "Hey, another world's coming up, guys!"

Everyone quickly took their seats as Sora directed the neon colored ship towards the new world.

* * *

After landing the ship, the spiky haired teen looked over his shoulder. "You guys ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be." Riku told his friend as he got out of his seat. Several members of the group gave nods of agreement

Sora headed towards the door with the rest following shortly behind as it slowly opened, and as they stepped out, a bright light filled their vision.

When it died down, Sora saw that they were now in an area with a dark cobblestone road. The sky was just as dark as a large moon loomed above a curved hill. On the sides of the road were pumpkin lanterns that hung on poles. A couple dead trees could be seen here and there, and the grass seemed rather dead. Sora's eyes widened, recognizing the place immediately as his eyes lit up. "Hey, this is Halloween Town!"

He looked down, seeing that his clothes had changed to how they appeared in this world, a vampire-like garb complete with the pumpkin mask resting on the side of his head.

Donald and Goofy exchanged a look as they realized they were looked like a mummy and a Frankenstein monster again.

However, the rest of the team looked shocked at the trio's current forms. Kairi managed to get out, "Guys?! Your clothes!"

Sora gave her a smile. "You should see your's."

Kairi blinked, but glanced down at her own outfit, nearly doing a double take. They had taken on a darker hue, with her jacket now mostly black with a dark pink lining. Her pants had changed into a matching skirt slightly frayed at the edges. Her boots had become pointed at the ends, as her shoulders had gray clothing draped over them. She also had a pumpkin mask that was covering her left eye, similar to Sora, and even had a dark shadow covering her face.

Riku now wore a black vest lined with silver fur as a pair of silver wolf ears stuck out on the top of his head while his hair appeared to be shaggier. His jeans had become black and slightly ripped. A single glove with wolf like claws donned his left hand. Riku's shoes had gained a pattern at the toes of them that also seemed to resemble claws.

Anne looked down at herself with surprise. "Huh?!"

She was currently dressed in a dark gray body suit with a black cloak. The cloak had a pair of sleeves to go with it as a hood hung over her head. The cloak was held together by a red clasp. She was also surprised to find a white mask with an eye hole covering the right side of her face. The brown haired girl took a hold of it with confusion. "What's up with the Phantom of the Opera mask?" she questioned out loud as she attempted to pull it off, only for it to snap right back in place. "OW!"

Dylan grimaced at that.

"Ouch." Chase commented with a sympathetic wince. "You okay, Annie?"

Anne groaned, shaking off the stinging pain on her face. "Yeah, I'm fi- whoa!" she gasped as she saw Chase.

"What is it? Do I have something on my face?" Chase asked before looking in a broken mirror that laid nearby. To his surprise, his skin seemed ashen as his face looked sunken in. His clothes, now a duller color, were tattered on the sleeves and even had a couple holes here and there. "Why do I look like some kinda zombie?"

"Well, when we go to certain worlds, our outfits sometimes change in order to blend in." Goofy explained.

"That sounds pretty cool!" Chase remarked as he looked at himself. "What do you think, Dyl?"

He then did a double take upon seeing his brother before he started to snicker. "Nice ears, bro!"

Dylan rose an eyebrow, but took a look in the mirror himself, then nearly took a step back in surprise. His skin had turned to a pale green as his ears were pointy and now few inches longer. His clothes had changed as well, as he now wore a brown vest lined with a pale green with the hood up over a light brown sleeveless shirt that was tattered at the collarbone. His black pants changed to a dark brown pair that was tattered at the ends of the pants legs and he was now barefoot except for a bandage wrapping around them, as his toes had merged and changed into three pointed ones instead.

His eyes widened in shock as his new appearance. "What the?!"

Anne saw him as well and couldn't help but let out a small giggle at the sight of his new ears.

Dylan tested out his feet. "This... this is weird..."

"You're telling me." Jason said as he looked down at himself. His skin had become light green as he could see stitches on his arms. He now donned a black jacket with the sleeves torn off, leaving what remained tattered. Underneath it, he wore a red shirt with a jack-o-lantern on it, although the shirt seemed to have a couple tears at the bottom. His jeans had become a pair of black pants with a red line going down each side, but was also tattered and had a hole in one of the knees.

"I think it's kinda cool. What about you, Clair- HOLY CRAP!" Chase leapt back in surprise. The others were confused as to why he suddenly yelled, so they looked over at Clair. Some of the group did a double take.

"Whoa, Clair?!" Jason asked.

"What? What is it?" Clair asked, confused.

"You might wanna see for yourself..." Chase gestured to the mirror on the ground. Clair rose an eyebrow before she approached it, gazing into it. To her surprise, she saw some sort of wolf staring back at her. But then, she realized that it was her reflection. She had become a werewolf with brown fur covering her whole body, although her clothes remained, even though her boots were gone and her jeans had become tattered at the ends. She now had claws on her hands and feet, which had changed into paws, but she could still stand on two feet. She also had a muzzle. Her braids remained on her head, though. She gasped in surprise at her new form. "Is that me?!"

"Whoa, you're a werewolf?!" Anne asked.

Chase shook off his shock. "Wow!"

Clair didn't know what to think. She was so shocked by her new form.

Lea looked down at himself and rose an eyebrow in surprise to see his outfit had changed as well. The last time he was here as his Nobody, his clothes never changed. Then again, he wore the Organization coat back then, so that may have been why. His scarf remained, but his jacket had been replaced by a red one that was slightly burnt while a flaming jack o lantern design could be seen on his back. His pants had turned to a charcoal gray. The tips of his hair were lit with flames, but it didn't bother him.

Aurora glanced at her current outfit, seeing that her skin had become scaly as her sweater had transformed into a dull blue shirt that was torn at the ends of the sleeves. Her skirt had become frayed at the edges with a cobweb design on it. Her leggings had gained a scaly pattern to match her skin as a pointed hat rested atop her head.

As they tried to get used to their new forms, Sora's eyes lit up as he suddenly remembered the other town that resided in this world. "Oh yeah, there's not only Halloween stuff here, there's also-"

However, he was cut off by Riku. "Hold on. You guys hear that?"

Everyone went silent as they listened closely. A sound could soon be heard. "Yeah, it sounds like... music?" Anne blinked. She could tell it definitely didn't come from her headphones, which had vanished at the moment because of her current outfit.

They exchanged a look before they began to head in the direction the music came from. Dead leaves began to blow in the wind past a scarecrow. As the group came across a graveyard, they heard soft singing begin as silhouettes appeared on the tombstones.

 _"Boys and girls of every age_

 _Wouldn't you like to see something strange?_

 _Come with us and you will see_

 _This, our town of Halloween."_

Riku and Sora pushed open a gate as the group stepped out of the graveyard. Suddenly, ghosts flew over their heads, causing Anne to let out a yelp of surprise.

 _"This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

 _Pumpkins scream in the dead of night!"_

At that, jack-o-lanterns with different faces carved into them suddenly fell out of nowhere, each becoming impaled on the spike of a metal fence. They followed the fence as the ghosts passed by them again.

 _"This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

 _Everybody make a scene_

 _Trick or treat til the neighbors gonna die of fright_

 _It's our town, everybody scream!_

 _In this town of Halloween!"_

The team then came across a creepy looking bed as a voice came from underneath it.

 _"I am the one hiding under your bed_

 _Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red!"_

Chase paled as he could see a pair of red glowing eyes and sharp teeth under the bed. Near it was a staircase that led up to a door. However, what grabbed their attention was a hand emerging from below the stairs that had snakes for fingers as they hissed. Clair gasped at that, jumping back with a panicked expression as her fear of snakes kicked in.

 _"I am the one hiding under your stairs_

 _Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair!"_

Dylan flinched as a creature came out from the spot under the stairs, revealing spiders were indeed in its hair. He jumped back as a couple of the spiders even crawled out of the creature's hair as the voices continued to sing.

 _"This is Halloween, this is Halloween!_

 _Halloween!_

 _Halloween!_

 _Halloween!_

 _Halloween!"_

A group of vampires each emerged from a set of coffins before about four more stepped out of a house. Goofy nervously waved at them.

 _"In this town we call home_

 _Everyone hail to the pumpkin song."_

Sora then saw the mayor of Halloween Town singing as he stood atop a fence with a big grin.

 _"In this town, don't we love it now_

 _Everybody's waiting for the next surprise!"_

He twirled around, but his body did a 360 while his head stayed in place the whole time, creeping some of the team out. As they headed down the cobblestone path, a black cat ran by Jason's feet before jumping on top of a garbage can.

" _Round that corner, man hiding in the trashcan_

 _Something's waiting now to pounce and how you'll..."_

 _"Scream!"_ A monster that appeared to be a Harlequin monster burst out of a trashcan as a werewolf jumped out of a door.

 _"This is Halloween!"_

 _"Red and black."_ the Harlequin demon sang as another monster climbed out of a sewer grate.

 _"Slimy green!"_

 _"Aren't you scared?!"_ the werewolf asked.

"No." Aurora replied, but had to duck down as a pair of witches sailed over her on their broomsticks, flying through the streets.

 _"Well, that's just fine!_

 _Say it once, say it twice_

 _Take a chance and roll the dice_

 _Ride with the moon in the dead of night!"_

As the group made their way down the path, they came across a tree with a face and was somehow walking towards them with skeletons hanging with nooses around their necks tied to its branches.

 _"Everybody scream, everybody scream!"_

The skeletons themselves sang as they gestured to the tree.

 _"In our town of Halloween."_

They then bumped into a chubby clown wearing a pale tan outfit with pale purple polka dots, as well as yellow with purple stripes on its sleeves. It also wore a cap with a propeller atop it. The clown had a standard red nose, but also had a big grin and sharp teeth.

 _"I am the clown with the tear away face!"_ it sang before it suddenly ripped its face off, revealing a black void as it sang in a gutteral tone.

 _"Here in a flash and gone without a trace!"_

Chase and Anne yelled with surprise as they stumbled back. Sora jumped a little at the sight as the clown snapped its fingers, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

 _"I am the 'who' when you call 'who's there'."_ a voice whispered from behind Riku, but when he turned around, he saw no one there.

 _"I am the wind blowing through your hair."_ a set of ghostly voices sang as Lea and Kairi's hair was blown to the side.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy then looked up and nearly jumped in surprise as they gazed up and saw a silhouette of a rather familiar figure they had faced before.

 _"I am the shadow in the moon at night_

 _Filling your dreams to the brim with fright!"_

The shadow gave a wide grin as bats emerged from it, screeching as they flew past the group. Several citizens of Halloween Town marched through a gate as one of them pulled a cart with a scarecrow on it.

 _"This is Halloween, this is Halloween!_

 _Halloween!_

 _Halloween!_

 _Halloween!  
_

 _Halloween!"_

A guillotine came down on a pumpkin, making it shatter to pieces as a small monster child poked out of a bag with another child by their side.

 _"Tender lumplings everywhere_

 _Life's no fun without a good scare!"_

A pair of older monsters walked by Clair and Jason as they sang together.

 _"That's our job, but we're not mean_

 _In our town of Halloween!"_

The monsters were heading to the town square, so the group decided to follow them as the Mayor sang again while standing atop a wall.

 _"In this town, don't we love it now_

 _Everybody's waiting for the next surprise!"_

A monster dragged the cart carrying the scarecrow into the town square as the chorus continued.

 _"Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back_

 _And scream like a banshee_

 _Make you jump out of your skin!"_

The scarecrow suddenly came to life, much to the surprise of Chase and Dylan, snatching up a torch that a monster was holding up.

 _"This is Halloween, everybody scream!_

 _Won't you please make way for a very special guy?_

 _Our man Jack is king of the pumpkin patch_

 _Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King, now!"_

Anne's eyes widened as the scarecrow swallowed the torch, setting itself on fire as it began to dance, waving its arms wildly at the crowd that had gathered, the flames barely missing them as it jumped up, doing a somersault in midair before diving into a well with green water.

 _"This is Halloween, this is Halloween!_

 _Halloween!_

 _Halloween!_

 _Halloween!_

 _Halloween!"_

 _"In this town we call home_

 _Everyone hail to the pumpkin song."_ the two monster children from before chorused. Then, a tall, lanky skeleton wearing a black pinstripe suit with a bat bowtie rose from the waters with a big grin on his face as he threw his arms out. The rest of the residents of Halloween Town continued their chorus as this happened.

Sora's eyes lit up at the sight of the skeleton. It was Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King and an old friend.

"It's Jack!" Goofy smiled. The monsters then clapped for the performance Jack put on, so some of the group joined in as well. They had to admit, despite how creepy it was, it was rather well done.

"Thank you, thank you, everyone!" Jack grinned as he took a bow before the crowd. "This was rather fun! Perhaps even better than last year's Halloween!"

The Pumpkin King then noticed Sora, Donald, and Goofy among the crowd as the monsters began to return to their daily business. Jack's eye sockets widened with joy as he leapt off the well, rushing to the trio. "Sora! Welcome back!" he exclaimed happily as he shook Sora's hand eagerly.

"Hey, Jack!" Sora smiled up at the skeleton that still towered over him. "How've you been?"

"I've been doing fantastic, actually!"

Donald crossed his arms with a smirk. "You haven't been trying to take over Santa's job again, have ya?"

Jack shook his head. "Oh, no, not at all! I swear!"

Riku rose an eyebrow. "What? 'Santa'?"

This prompted Sora to look back at him with a smirk, remembering how Riku didn't believe. "Yeah! Santa Claus is here! He's real! We met him ourselves!"

Chase's eyes widened. "You met Santa?!"

However, Riku was still dubious.

"So you know this guy?" Dylan asked as he looked up at the skeleton man.

"Oh! Are these friends of yours?" Jack inquired as he saw the group standing before him.

Kairi cracked a smile, a little unnerved. "Um... hello."

"Yep! Everyone, meet Jack. Jack, this here is Riku and Kairi, my friends I've been looking for the last time I was here." Sora began as he gestured to his two best friends.

Riku gave a curt nod. "Hey."

"Nice to meet you." Kairi greeted.

"It's a pleasure!" Jack said as he shook their hands, a little too eagerly, in fact.

Lea then walked up to the Pumpkin King. "Heya. Name's Lea. Nice job with the flames there." he smirked with approval. "They were a nice touch."

"Really?!" Jack smiled happily.

"Yeah, Lea's a fire type of guy." Goofy explained.

Jack was elated to hear that another person liked his act. "Wonderful!"

Chase decided to introduce himself next. "My name's Chase, and this is my brother Dylan." he said as he gestured to his brother, who gave a wave.

It was then Anne stepped forward. "My name's Anne." she greeted. Jack shook the three's hands as well before turning to Clair.

"And you are?" he smiled.

"My name is Clair. This is Jason." she told him as she gestured to her cousin. Aurora kept her distance, though, looking off to the side. "And that's Aurora."

"Hello!" Jack waved politely, but she didn't respond. However, this didn't faze him. "Not much of a talker, eh?"

Sora, knowing that Aurora didn't want to talk, decided to change the subject. "Jack, have there been any Heartless or things called Nobodies here? Or any guys in black coats?"

This made the skeleton pause and ponder for a moment. "Hmm... I haven't seen anyone wearing a black coat, but I do believe I've seen a Heartless or two outside of the town, at least a while ago. None have come into town, thankfully. But I'll keep an eye out."

Goofy then smiled. "So, Jack, how're you and Sally doin'?"

"We're doing fantastic! Sally and I've been thinking of fun new ideas for this year's Halloween and the next!" Jack smiled. "Say, why don't you come along to say hello?"

Sora turned back to the group. "What do you say, guys?"

"Sure. It wouldn't hurt." Kairi smiled. Aurora seemed hesitant, though.

"Alright! Follow me, everybody!" Jack cheered as he began to walk down the road. The group exchanged looks before they began to follow the skeleton man.

* * *

As this was happening, Nash was running down a path frantically. Ever since he arrived, he had bumped into all kinds of ghouls and creatures. He just wanted to get the heck out of here, now.

He nearly ran into a creepy looking clown, who waved at him. "Hello!" they greeted with a high, screechy voice. Nash yelled before he scrambled away.

Everywhere he went, left and right, there was some kind of spooky monster! Wasn't there anyone normal in this place?

As he rounded around a corner, he suddenly ran right into someone and ended up falling onto his back. He grunted as he landed.

"Whoops! Sorry." a voice apologized.

"Hey, watch it-" Nash winced as he looked up, but cut himself off as he saw exactly who he ran into. His eyes widened as he stared up at Chase Enheart, who had the appearance of a zombie, now. His brother and friend were with him too, but Dylan now looked like a goblin and Anne now had a cloak on with a mask on the side of her face. There were several other people with him that he didn't recognize.

"You?!"

Anne, Chase, and Dylan's eyes widened. "Nash?!"

A spiky haired teenage boy that looked like a vampire rose an eyebrow. "You know this guy?"

Dylan crossed his arms. "Yeah. He's from our world. His name's Nash Parker. We... weren't on good terms back home."

"What are you doing here?" Anne asked.

Nash pushed himself up to his feet. "Those things, the Heartless, they attacked us and I ended up falling into some kind of portal. Next thing I knew, I was in some weird alley and saw two weirdos in black coats talking with each other. I took another portal and ended up somewhere else. I overheard a couple other guys talking about Josh being sighted in some place called Halloween Town."

"Black coats... the Organization?" Lea frowned as he wondered out loud. This couldn't be good.

Nash continued to tell his story, "I ended up in some place in the middle of a desert. I think it was called Agrabah. I ran into this guy, Zafir, who helped me out and told me about you guys. This big, blue dude was about to send me to where you guys were, but a Heartless knocked me into another portal."

"You met Zafir?" Chase asked, remembering the friend they had met back on the streets of Agrabah.

"Yeah, and then I ended up in this sort of gateway, then found myself in this freaky looking place. It's Halloween Town, right?"

"Of course!" Jack said cheerfully. Nash did a double take seeing the skeleton man, but recovered.

"In that case, have you seen a guy named Josh anywhere?"

"You're actually looking for that guy?" Anne frowned.

"Of course I am! Last time I saw him, it was when those Heartless attacked us when the sky was getting really dark. He wasn't running, but he was looking up at the sky. I tried to get him to run, but he was acting like he was enjoying what was happening. He said it was 'amazing', so I just took off. I last saw him being surrounded by the dark stuff."

Riku frowned at that. He knew _exactly_ what Nash was talking about, and if it was what he thought he was...

"Nash, you should stay away from Josh." he warned.

Nash frowned. "Are you kidding?! No way! I've been looking for him the whole time!"

"Why are you even friends with that nutcase?" Chase asked.

"Cause... Cause I've been looking all this time! Why should I stop now?!"

"Nash, listen, if Josh did what I think he did, then he is most likely a dangerous person to be around right now." Riku said.

"What are you talking about?! Sure, he might push people around, but he's not that dangerous!"

Anne shook her head with a frown. "You know that's not true, Nash. You've seen what your 'friend' does to others that get in his way."

"So?! They never should have got in his way in the first place!" Nash retorted to try and defend his reasons, then clenched his fist. "Whatever, I'm looking for Josh!"

"Wait!" Riku tried to stop him, but Nash was already running away.

Jack blinked. "What was that about?" he wondered.

Sora looked over at Riku. "You don't think...?"

The silver haired teen nodded. "If what Nash said was true, then Josh must have given himself to the darkness."

Anne, Chase, and Dylan did a double take. "Huh?!"

"And if Josh is like what you described him... then he'll only be even worse if he has dark powers, now."

* * *

"I can't believe those guys!" Nash muttered to himself as he had slowed down to a walk at this point, now walking through a graveyard. He couldn't believe what those weirdos had said back there.

Sure, Josh might have went a little over the top when dealing with people, but he wasn't dangerous!

Nash then paused to think about it. He wasn't dangerous, right? He was his friend... right?

The raven haired teenager thought about the things that Josh had done, such as steal homework from others to make them fail, beat them up if he felt like it, did whatever he could to get what he wanted, lie to his dad about what he did, and... well, now that he thought about it, Josh _did_ tend to go overboard, sometimes...

It was then Nash heard the familiar sound of a portal materializing behind him, followed by footsteps. "Well, well, well... what a coincidence, Nash."

Nash's eyes widened as he turned around to see... "Josh?!"

He did a double take upon seeing him. Josh's outfit had changed as well. His green hoodie became a dark green buttoned up shirt underneath a black button up vest with a pair of dark, tattered pants. His dirty blonde hair had become even wilder. What was most noticable was that his eyes had become a blood red color and he now had a long set of fangs. His fingers even seemed to have become claws. But there was something else that was different about him. Something that felt... off...

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Oh man, I've been looking everywhere for you! You have no idea what I've had to put up with!" Nash said. "What have you been doing?"

Josh merely smirked darkly. "Oh, I've just received some... enlightening training." he said as he looked down at his hand, clenching it. Nash rose an eyebrow as he felt that there was something off... what had happened to Josh?

"Uh... Josh?"

"So, how have you been?" Josh then asked him, sounding casual.

Nash was taken aback by the sudden subject change, but replied, "Not so good. I've been knocked around by these freaky things called Heartless, the things that attacked us back home, and had to travel through these weird portal things that took me to several different places... not cool at all. Also, I just bumped into the Enheart brothers and their friend Anne. You know, the ones that you liked to pick on a lot? They were with a bunch of other people."

That grabbed Josh's attention. "Did you see where they were?"

"Well, they were in the town square last time I saw them. One of the guys they were with was saying some weird stuff about-"

"I think it's time I pay those losers another visit." Josh cut him off.

Nash rose an eyebrow. "... huh? Why?"

A dark grin crept up on Josh's face while holding up his hand, materializing an orb of darkness in it, much to Nash's surprise. "There's something I've been wanting to test out..."


	29. A Grave Meeting

**Special thanks to DinoWriter23 for helping me write this chapter.**

* * *

"... and then Sally thought of adding these nice vines to go along with the design of the building! It's perfect! The way they snake up the walls..." Jack chuckled as he chatted to the group while leading them through the streets of Halloween Town.

Clair flinched a bit at the word 'snake', but calmed down as she realized there wasn't one around.

"What do you think?" Jack asked Sora.

Sora gave a nod. "Yeah. It sounds like a nice touch. Really sets the spooky mood."

"Exactly what we were going for!"

As they followed the King of Halloween Town, Anne found herself humming the song that the residents were singing earlier when they had arrived. The tune was rather catchy, despite the creepiness that surrounded it.

They then walked by a field with dark purple grass, but what caught Sora's attention was a scarecrow residing in it. It had a burlap sack with button eyes and a smile stitched into it as it was placed on a wooden pole, where bits of a light brown fiber poked out of the top of the burlap sack. The scarecrow was also dressed in a black coat with a couple patches on it as two claws hung off the ends of the scarecrow's arms. Lea and Sora both paused as they looked at it. There was something rather familiar about the scarecrow...

Jack seemed to notice their gaze and looked at it as well. "Oh! I see you've found one of the old attractions. You see, I saw someone come through town, around a half a year ago, and they inspired me to create this! It definitely added some more flare to the festivities. I decided to put it aside to use again just in case."

"This person you saw... did he have a black coat? With blonde hair that spiked up?" Lea questioned, though he already had a feeling he knew exactly who the Pumpkin King spoke of.

"Why, yes! In fact, now that I think about it, he looked like you, Sora." Jack told the spiky haired teen.

Roxas. The one Jack was talking about was Roxas. Lea's face fell a bit upon remembering his friend.

Sora remembered the fate of his Nobody and let out a sigh as he gazed at the scarecrow. Roxas deserved better... he had every right to be his own person. After all the events that happened during his Mark of Mastery Exam, he felt even more terrible for Roxas once they had discovered the Organization's true plan. It made him want to try and help this Nobody, even though he was now one with Sora's heart.

Was there even a way to bring Roxas back?

"Sora?"

Jack snapped Sora out of his thoughts. "Huh? Yeah?"

"You spaced out there for a moment. Are you alright?"

Sora waved it off. "Yeah, I was just thinking... the scarecrow... its kinda familiar."

"Oh, does it resemble someone you know?"

"You could say that." Lea replied as they caught up with the rest of the group.

Aurora stayed behind the group as they resumed their trek. She then heard a voice call out, "Hey! Behind you!"

She paused for a moment, tensing a bit, before turning around just in time to see something at appeared to be a pumpkin thrown at her. Suddenly, it exploded in her face, knocking her onto her back, but not injuring her. "What the-?!"

It was then the sound of children cackling filled the air as the group turned around, seeing three small children dressed as a witch, a devil, and a skeleton, each with masks, laughing at Aurora's misfortune.

"We got her!" the shortest of the three cheered.

"You threw that?" Aurora frowned as she pushed herself up, glaring at the trio of troublemakers.

"We did!" the one dressed as a witch laughed.

Donald groaned. "Not them again!"

"Who are they?" Anne asked.

"Lock! Shock! Barrel!" Jack frowned as he approached them. The moment they saw Jack looming over them, their laughter ceased as they paled, shivering as they huddled together.

"Oh! H-Hi, Jack!"

"What have I told you three about pulling those sorts of pranks?" Jack scolded with a frown.

"W-W-We were just having fun!" Lock stammered.

"I will not have you antagonize Sora and his friends!" Jack crossed his arms. "Now, no more pranks like that from now on, understand."

"We understand!" the three chorused, but they each had their fingers crossed behind their backs before taking off.

Jack shook his head before turning to Aurora. "I'm terribly sorry about them. They just like to cause mischief."

"Nothing I can't handle." Aurora muttered, though annoyed by what had happened.

The tall, thin skeleton had the group follow him to a set of metal gates that led to a set of stairs, which led up to a crooked house. "Home, sweet home." Jack remarked happily as he started to walk up the stairs.

"Didn't Sally live with Dr. Finklestein?" Goofy questioned. Jason did a double take at the name, raising an eyebrow.

Jack looked over his shoulder. "Why, yes, but since your last visit, she's been living with me, now."

Clair blinked. "You two are dating?"

"Indeed, we are! Sally's the sweetest person I have ever known!" the Pumpkin King said. "Just wait till you meet her."

When Jack reached the door, he unlocked it and stepped inside, holding the door open for them. "Please, come in!"

The gang walked in one by one, being careful not to fall off the stairs. Anne was careful enough not to look over the edge. Once they were all inside, Jack called, "Oh, Sally! We have some guests!"

"Oh?" They then got their first look at Sally.

Those who had not seen her before were surprised to see that she had light blue skin, red hair, and had stitches all over her body. Even her dress was made of various patches. Despite her appearance, the living rag doll had a kind look in her eyes.

Still, some of the group were creeped out.

"Hi, Sally." Goofy greeted with a smile.

Sally smiled softly. "Sora, Donald, Goofy. Welcome back."

Clair and Chase looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes. They both had the same confused and slightly creeped out expressions. Jason was not sure what to think. Aurora merely rose an eyebrow.

"So... how did you two meet?" Dylan asked. "If you don't mind sharing."

Jack and Sally exchanged a look. "Dr. Finklestein created Sally, so she lived with him for a while." Jack began.

"But I wanted to see the town." Sally said. "So I kept running off. There, I saw Jack preparing for Halloween, helping making things scarier. I admired how enthusiastic he was about it, and how caring he was about the residents."

"I didn't realize how she felt about me for a while." Jack told them. "Truth be told, sometimes I felt myself growing tired of fear and terror. It was getting too routine. When the Heartless came, I thought it'd be a good idea to use them to spruce up Halloween."

"I remember that." Sora said. "The Heartless weren't acting like themselves, though."

"So we tried to make a heart to control them." Jack continued.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that idea backfired." Jason deducted.

"Yes." Jack admitted, "Yes, it did. To make matters worse, Oogie Boogie decided to attack."

"Oogie who?" Kairi asked.

"The Boogieman." Donald clarified. "We defeated him and the Heartless."

"A bit after Sora, Donald, and Goofy left, I ventured off into the woods, where i discovered a door. It led to a wonderful place so different from here. It had magic in the air, snow covering everything, presents... I discovered something called Christmas!"

"What?" Jason, Aurora, and Clair asked.

Anne looked over at them. "Don't you know what Christmas is?"

They shook their heads, much to Anne, Chase, Dylan, Sora, and Kairi's shock.

"Well, let me tell you what Christmas is." Jack said. "Each year, on December 24th, a man named Sandy Claws-"

"Santa Claus." Sora and Chase corrected.

"Right, Santa Claus, flies out and gives presents to all the good girls and boys."

Chase was shocked. "You don't have Christmas where you're from?" he asked Clair, who shook her head in reply.

Anne's jaw dropped. "You mean you don't have Christmas carols, or Christmas trees, no presents tied up in a bow...?!"

Aurora folded her arms. "Sounds like a waste of time."

"It's not a waste of time at all." Anne said, unfazed.

"Don't you have at least something similar to Christmas where you're from?" Dylan asked.

Clair thought about it. "Hmmm... not that I can think of."

Anne sighed. "You've never seen the beauty of homes light up at night?"

"Homes lighting up?" That seemed to attract Clair's attention.

"Yeah, during that time of year, people decorate their homes with Christmas lights to light up the night." Kairi explained.

"Just like Starbright!" Clair said.

Riku rose an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"It's something we do every year." Aurora said. "Give ourselves light since it's the one day of the year the sun doesn't shine."

"So, you put lights on your houses for that, then?" Chase questioned. Clair gave a nod.

"You don't have the splendid gift giving, either?" Jack inquired as he tilted his head.

"Nope. Nothing like that."

"... wow." Chase said. "Well, you've got to see how Christmas works sometimes."

Sally looked at Jack. "Jack? You were saying?"

"Hm? Oh! Right!" Jack remembered, then continued the story. "I became fascinated by Christmas, so I started to discover more about it, incorporating it into Halloween Town. When I heard about what Sandy Claws did, I thought that maybe I could do the same!"

"That sounds like a recipe for disaster." Jason remarked.

Sally let out a sigh. "It was. Jack tried to do something related to Christmas, it would turn out like Halloween."

"I thought I could take over for Sandy Claws for that year, so I asked Lock, Shock, and Barrel to bring him here to Halloween Town. I told him I'd deliver presents for him, then asked Sally to make me a suit like Sandy's to wear since she's excellent at stitching."

"I tried to warn Jack that it wasn't a good idea, that Halloween elements in Christmas didn't mix, but he was so excited..." Sally added.

"And he didn't listen, is what it sounds like." Aurora said.

"He didn't." Sally confirmed.

Jack let out a sigh this time. "I delivered the presents, but people... didn't have the reaction I had hoped for when I gave them the gifts. They even shot me down. It was there I realized that I had almost ruined Christmas. And then I had to rescue Sandy Claws from Oogie Boogie."

"I thought you said he was defeated?" Anne pointed out.

"He was, but somehow, he had come back. And Sally had been kidnapped as well. I defeated him again, and after that, Sandy Claws went out to the rest of the world to deliver the presents that were supposed to be sent. A while after that, I got back into the Christmas mood again, right when Sora, Donald, and Goofy came back."

"Right. That's when we got to visit Santa!" Sora said, then gave Riku a look. "He was REAL. I saw him with my own eyes."

"I still don't know who this Oogie Boogie is." Jason told them.

"He's basically one who liked to cause nightmares, as well as hurting people. He loved gambling, and he didn't play fair." Sally explained.

Jack gave a nod. "We went to Christmas Town because one, Sora wished to see Mr. Claws, and two, I wanted to talk to suggest some ideas for Christmas, but he was rather busy. However, somehow, Oogie Boogie had been brought back once more and kidnapped Sandy, yet again."

"How'd you stop him that time?" Clair asked.

"We had to beat him as his own game, since he was using a platform to send us towards spikes while trapping us on conveyor belts. We had to knock him off the platform several times in order to land hits on him. By the time we stopped him, bugs were leaking out of him." Sora told her.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, BUGS?!" Chase questioned with surprise.

"Oogie was basically a walking bag of bugs. Donald squashed this big one, and I think that was Oogie's main bug."

Jason thought about what he had been told.

"But he's gone for good now, right?" Anne asked.

"Oh, I hope so. He hasn't been seen since, and I'm hoping for it to stay that way." Jack told her. "But after he had been defeated, Sally had finished sewing up another Santa suit for me! But... Mr. Claws explained to me that even though it was quite tiring, it was always worth it to bring joy to others in the end. Just like how it's worth it for me to scare people silly."

Chase smirked. "Sometimes, it's good to be scared."

"Exactly!" Jack agreed. "Afterwards, I began to realize how Sally truly felt about me. I should have seen it, before. It was then I began to realize that I felt for her, too. I realized that we were simply meant to be."

Clair smiled. "Aw..."

Sora smiled as well, folding his arms behind his head.

"Ever since then, we've been together!" Jack smiled as he gently took Sally's hands in his own.

It was then they heard yipping. Anne looked up and gasped with surprise as they saw a ghost dog with a small pumpkin for a nose fly down a staircase. The ghostly dog flew around Sora, Donald, and Goofy happily.

"Hey, Zero!" Sora greeted with a grin.

Jason's eyes widened. First a flying horse. Now a ghost dog. Did every world defy logic?

Zero noticed the newcomers and tilted his head before floating over to them curiously.

"Hi?" Chase tried. The ghost dog sniffed him, then flew around him as he moved onto the others. Anne shivered as one of Zero's ears passed through her. Zero then floated by Dylan, circling around him for a moment. Clair wasn't sure exactly what to think at this. Aurora took a step back as Zero approached her, then moved over to Jason. He tilted his head once more before floating away.

"He's... interesting." Anne said.

"He's also cute. In a... strange sort of way." Kairi admitted. Out of the corner of his eye, Sora noticed a familiar outfit hanging in a closet. It was Jack's Santa outfit that Sally had stitched together for him the last time they were there. Sora cracked a smile at the sight as he looked over at the tall skeleton.

"You still have that?" he questioned with a chuckle.

"Why, of course! Sally worked so hard on it, so I kept it to remind myself of how wonderful she is."

Those words made Sora think of Kairi, prompting him to smile lightly as he and the redhead exchanged a shy smile. Jack's eye sockets then lit up. "Say, while you're all here, why don't we visit Christmas To-"

He was cut off by knocking on the door. Rather frantic knocking. "Jack! Jack, open up! It's me, the Mayor! Please, hurry!"

The Pumpkin King opened up the front door, revealing the literally two-faced Mayor. "Mr. Mayor! What brings you here?"

The Mayor's head whirled around to reveal his 'sad' face as he cried out, "Heartless! The Heartless are back!"

Anne groaned at that. "They're here, too?!"

Sora summoned his Keyblade. "We'll take care of them!" he declared before running past the Mayor and out the door. The rest of the team ran out after him, getting their weapons ready.

Jack joined them, his long lanky legs allowing him to catch up quickly. "Don't suppose you could use a hand?"

They arrived in the town square, finding several ghost-like Heartless floating around with a few other Heartless with the appearance of a mummy. The residents of Halloween Town had to go into hiding.

"Search Ghosts and Wight Knights..." Goofy gulped as he prepared his shield.

"Well, they know how to fit in with the town." Aurora said.

One of the Search Ghosts suddenly vanished in midair before suddenly appearing behind Dylan, grabbing hold of him. Dylan's sudden cry of surprise got their attention as they saw he was caught. Dylan began to feel dizzy as the Heartless lifted into the air.

"Hey!" Chase exclaimed before leaping at the Heartless from behind, forcing it to let go of his brother. Anne slashed at it quickly, knocking it back before checking on Dylan, who gasped as he recovered from his experience.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." Dylan said, shaking off the dizzy feeling as he ran back into the fray.

A Wight Knight extended its arms as its claws hit Sora, who cringed as he felt the blow. Kairi then struck the Wight Knight from behind before shooting an orb of light at it.

Jack smacked a Heartless away. "You're not welcome here." the skelton told the Heartless they were facing. "Now go!" he added, baring his teeth as he made a scary face. The Heartless didn't seem fazed.

Jason punched one in the face. "He said go."

The Heartless stumbled, but then it attempted to attack him like it did to Sora before. Jason managed to get out of the way just as the claws passed him, but managed to graze his arm. He cringed, jumping away from it to avoid getting hit again as it then stumbled towards Aurora.

She ducked to avoid its extending arms before she leapt over it, striking it in the back with her Keyblade as she dealt the final blow to it.

A Search Ghost threw its claws towards Anne, who quickly leapt aside before charging at the Heartless just as it was retracting its arms. She swung her Keyblade upwards, slashing at the ghost-like Heartless.

Another Search Ghost attempted to attack Clair. She jumped to the side to avoid it as she quickly thought of a spell to use. "Thunder!" she cried out as she cast the spell, shocking the Search Ghost. The ghost twitched as it tried to move. Clair then slashed it with her Keyblade. She still wasn't used to looking like a werewolf at the moment, so she nearly stumbled as she attacked the Heartless.

Someone ended up catching her. She looked up and saw that Chase had helped her. "Tripping over your feet?" he joked lightly.

"Yeah." She admitted. One of the Wight Knights suddenly extended its arms at Chase as its claws grazed his arm. He let out a cry of surprise. Clair growled at that, then conjured a plasma bolt in her hands, or currently, her paws. She then fired it at the Heartless, destroying it as it vanished in a wisp of darkness.

"Thanks, Clair." Chase told.

She gave him a nod as she healed his injury with Cure before they leapt back into the fray.

Jack then created a fireball before throwing it like a bowling ball at a set of Wight Knights. It scattered them like bowling pins. Everyone's eyes widened at that, surprised by what the Pumpkin King did.

"Hey, nice one!" Sora called.

Lea sliced through one of the Wight Knights before they could even react. Riku shot a Dark Firaga at another, killing it.

Anne also went on the offensive. She leapt back before firing a Fire spell at the last Heartless in the area, finishing it off.

Dylan sighed when they were done. "I hate those things."

"What are the Heartless doing back here?" Jack wondered.

Suddenly, they heard a couple more screams come from distant parts of Halloween Town.

"There's more?" Anne asked. Chase groaned.

"They're all over town, apparently." Riku realized with a grim expression, then turned to the rest of the group. "If we split up, we might be able to take them out more quickly."

"Right. Donald, Goofy, and I will go this way!" Sora said as he jabbed a finger over his shoulder. Everyone then began to pick teams.

"I'll go this way with Jason and Aurora." Clair gestured towards a direction.

"Then I'll go that way with Chase and Dylan." Anne said as she nodded her head towards a path, still not looking at Aurora.

That just left Kairi and Riku, as well as Lea and Jack. "Then Kairi, Lea, and I will check out the forest." Riku announced.

Jack walked over to Sora. "Don't suppose you could use another hand, could you?"

"The more, the merrier!" Goofy told him.

"Right! Then I'll be heading with Sora this way!" Jack said as he gestured towards the path Sora pointed to before.

The groups then quickly headed off down separate paths to deal with the Heartless.

* * *

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack ran towards an area near the town square, where a few Shadows and Search Ghosts had materialized.

"Shall we?" Jack asked as he prepared to fight.

"Let's do it!" Sora exclaimed. The Keyblade wielder and the Pumpkin King charged forward with Donald and Goofy following them.

Jack grabbed Sora's arm. "Get ready!" he warned before tossing the teen into the air. Sora did a flip as he readied his Keyblade before bringing it down on an unsuspecting Search Ghost. The Heartless vanished after falling from the damage it took.

Goofy slammed his shield down onto a Shadow before it could slink back into the ground. Donald assisted his friend by freezing it with a Blizzard spell. Goofy attacked it again, spinning around this time. This was enough to destroy the Shadow.

Jack punted away a Shadow, sending it towards Sora, who sliced through it before moving onto another Search Ghost. As it vanished, he quickly moved out of the way before it could grab him and drain his health. Sora then hit it as hard as he could, keeping it up until the Heartless was destroyed and the heart was released.

Donald squawked as he felt a Search Ghost grab him before he could react. He struggled to break free as it began to sap away his health, but Goofy was quick to help, jumping upwards and ramming his shield into the Heartless's back, which freed Donald from its grasp. Donald groaned, rattling his head before he angrily shot a Thunder spell at the Heartless, stunning it long enough for Sora to slice through it.

That appeared to be the last of them. Donald looked around cautiously, just in case.

"This way, guys!" Sora told them before running towards another direction.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lea, Riku, and Kairi were currently facing against their own set of Heartless near the outside of town.

Lea made the first move with a swing of his Keyblade, knocking away a Shadow that had lunged toward him at that moment. The Shadow tumbled on the ground before crawling back up to its feet. The pyro steadied himself as the Heartless began to slither towards him, but was met by a fireball that Lea had shot at it, incinerating the Shadow.

Riku found himself squaring off against a Search Ghost.

He narrowed his eyes, shuffling back as the Heartless threw its arms at him. He barely avoided getting hit before he prepared his Dark Aura attack. He levitated into the air before suddenly vanishing, then began to teleport and hit the Search Ghost from all sides. That did the trick to defeating it.

Kairi made her move next, using what she had learned during her training and cast Blizzard, leaving a Wight Knight frozen in ice before Lea shattered it by slamming his Keyblade into it. A couple Shadows surrounded Kairi, who then spun around with her Keyblade. Her move ended up destroying both Shadows.

Riku smiled at his friend, giving a nod of approval. "Well done, Kairi!"

Lea took a step back. "Uh, you might wanna save the praises for later."

They looked ahead and saw a few more Heartless materialize. "Well... we could use a warm up." Riku said as they prepared to fight.

* * *

At this time, Chase, Dylan, and Anne had arrived in the graveyard, finding only a few Shadows there.

"Creepy monsters. Cemetery at night. Perfect Halloween setting." Chase joked.

"You actually have a point there." Anne agreed before charging at a Shadow, slamming her Keyblade into it. The Heartless recoiled, but sunk into the ground, zipping underneath her feet.

Dylan attacked it as soon as it reshaped itself. The Shadow was knocked back to Anne as she delivered the final blow to it.

Chase quickly side stepped as another Shadow tried to attack him. He then quickly jumped back and cast Thunder, shocking the Heartless as it was left twitching. Since the Shadow was unable to fight back, Dylan stabbed it with his sword, destroying it as well.

"Nice teamwork." Anne said to her friends.

They then heard slow, sarcastic clapping. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the losers."

They whirled around and to their shock, saw...

"Josh?!"

"Miss me?" the teen smirked at them. The three frowned, tensing. They noticed his appearance had changed for this world too, but something about him seemed... off.

Nash stood a few feet behind him, looking a bit unsure.

"I wasn't expecting this." Josh said. "A world where everything is about Halloween. The residence for all the spooks that supposedly come out during that time of the year."

"What are you doing here?" Dylan frowned at him.

"Why else would I be here? I was looking for you three."

"Yeah, well, we're kinda busy at the moment." Chase retorted.

Anne noticed Nash. "You seriously went to find this guy?"

The raven haired teen stayed silent. Josh, however, kept smirking. The fact that he currently had long fangs made the smirk more unnerving.

"Seriously. Stop smirking. You're creeping me out." Chase said.

Josh merely let out a dark chuckle, shaking his head. "Chase, Chase, Chase. You always find some way to amuse me with your stupidity."

Dylan narrowed his eyes at him while Anne glared. "Hey. You can be rude and snarky about me all you want." Anne said. "But don't you dare insult my friends. No one calls Chase stupid. Sure, he's always joking, but he's not stupid. And don't you even think of anything insulting to Dylan."

The bully made a mocking motion of adoration. "Aw, feeling protective about your boyfriend?"

Anne's eyes widened as she took a step back. "H-He's not my boyfriend!"

Dylan looked just as flustered.

"Really? Then you won't feel anything when I do this." Josh then blasted Dylan with an attack no one saw coming.

"DYLAN!" Chase and Anne gasped in horror as they rushed to his side. Even Nash was shocked by what Josh had done, taking a step back.

Dylan winced as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Oh, that hurt..." he groaned.

Anne glared at Josh. "You jerk!" she spat angrily as she and Chase helped Dylan up to his feet. Josh merely smirked in reply.

"What was that for?!" Chase frowned.

"You see, I've recently gained something, and I've been wanting to test it out." Josh said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"And that would be?"

"Power. And you three are the perfect ones to practice on." Josh narrowed his eyes as he formed an orb of darkness in his hand, much to the trio's shock. Josh had dark powers now?!

Nash was disturbed hearing what his so called friend said. "Uh, Josh, maybe you shouldn't-"

Josh paid no heed to his words. "Since when did you turn into a wimp?"

"You've changed, Josh." Nash said. "You're not yourself."

"Oh, I am myself, Nash." Josh retorted as he turned back to face the three friends.

Anne glared. "How did you get those powers?"

"Remember those monsters when they attacked the school? I found what was going on quite interesting. It was amazing... I was swept into these dark clouds, then found myself in this world not too long ago. A guy in a black coat came along and showed me how to use these new powers."

"Black coat?" Chase asked, remembering their encounter with Xigbar.

"Yes. Called himself Xemnas. Left as soon as I learned what I wanted."

Anne, Chase, and Dylan's eyes widened.

"Alright, this talking's boring me. Now to see how I can destroy you." He then attacked the three of them. Anne's eyes widened in shock as she quickly summoned her Keyblade, blocking an attack from Josh, but found herself skidding back from the force of the orb Josh had thrown at them.

Josh took notice of her Keyblade. "That weapon... Where did you get that?"

"None of your business!" Anne retorted.

Chase sped towards Josh to throw a punch at the bully, punching him in the face and taking him by surprise. He threw another punch, but Josh caught it this time. "So, you're fast now?"

Chase's eyes widened as Josh punched him hard in the gut, forcing him to hunch over as he let out a groan. Josh then kicked him in the stomach, knocking him onto his back. "Not fast enough, apparently."

"Chase!" Dylan then made his move. He charged at Josh with his sword, swinging at him. Josh leaned back, avoiding it. "Really? A sword?"

Dylan realized as long as he didn't reveal its powers to Josh now, it might give them an advantage later. But if he had run into Organization XIII, why didn't they tell him about their abilities?

Anne charged at Josh, swinging at him with her own weapon, angry about her friend getting hurt. However, he dodged the swing as well. He then attacked both of them at once. The two were knocked back. Anne staggered as she regained her balance while Dylan landed on his side, but pushed himself up. At this point, Chase had gotten back to his feet as well.

He then sped off, only to run back, trying to use his speed to build up a harder punch. The brown haired teen then ran straight at Josh, hoping to land a blow on him this time. It worked this time and he decked Josh in the face.

Josh stumbled back, holding his nose. He then glared with a furious look in his eye. "You'll pay for that."

"You have to catch me first." Chase taunted. Josh swung, but Chase moved out of the way with a mischievous look on his face. "Over here." Josh tried again, but the same thing happened. "No, over here." Same try, same result. "You couldn't hit a fly on a windshield!"

Josh growled, beginning to grow irritated. "Enough!"

He blasted Chase back, who ended up slamming into a tombstone. The speedster grunted with pain as he fell on his side. "Hmph. Much better." Josh sneered.

Dylan charged at Josh, angry at him for hurting his brother. He swung his sword, trying to land a hit. Josh leaned back and jumped aside on the first couple of swipes. The next jab, however, managed to nick Josh.

The teen cringed and held his arm, seeing a cut already forming. He narrowed his eyes at him as Dylan swung his sword at the dirty blonde haired boy. Anne struck next, making him stagger back from the blow. He let out a soft groan of pain. "Alright, I've had enough of this." Josh frowned.

Dylan charged at him, preparing to attack, but Josh grabbed his arm before he could even try to swing. He then twisted Dylan's arm behind his back roughly. A snap was heard and Dylan let out a loud cry of agony, dropping his sword as he fell to his knees.

"Dyl!" Chase gasped with worry, then winced as the pain came back as he tried to get back up.

Nash's eyes widened as he took another step back in horror.

Seeing that happen to her friend made something snap in Anne. "YOU PSYCHO!" she roared as she charged head on at Josh, who merely had a look of indifference as he kicked Dylan in the back, making him fall on his stomach as he nursed his now broken arm.

Raising her Keyblade high, she brought it down on Josh.

He stumbled back, then clenched his fist as he accessed his new powers. He shot an orb of darkness at Anne, forcing her to block. This gave him an opportunity to strike.

Just as Anne was about to recover and attack, Josh beat her to the punch. He struck her in the gut before slugging her on the head. Anne collapsed onto her stomach from that, her vision blurry and her head throbbing from the blow. She groaned as she struggled to get back up.

Josh smirked. "Pathetic." he mocked as he kicked her in the stomach hard.

Growling, Anne called up on her magic. "Fire!"

Josh barely managed to dodge the fireball, but it nearly grazed his arm as it hit the stone wall behind him.

It was then Chase stumbled to his feet before he attempted to attack Josh again. The bully narrowed his eyes as he saw Chase prepare to dash.

"You know something Josh? You're nothing but a big headache." Chase said.

"Oh, I'll give you a headache." Josh threatened as Chase sped towards him. "By splitting your skull in two!"

Chase swung at Josh as he appeared in front of him, and before he could speed off, Josh kicked him in the shin, then punched him in the face. The speedy teen stumbled back, a black eye already beginning to form. To rub salt in the wound, Josh then forced him back onto the ground while his guard was down.

"Josh, stop! This is crossing the line, man!" Nash shouted, unable to watch it anymore. He finally realized what everyone was telling him was true: Josh was truly dangerous and was an absolute psychopath.

Josh frowned. "Oh, I'm not done yet. Now... who to finish off first..." he said as he scanned over the beaten up trio. His gaze fell on Anne and he smirked maliciously. "Let's start with you..."

The girl struggled to get back up, but her injuries screamed in protest. He held out his arm and prepared to attack with another sphere of dark energy, but then a rock hit him in the head. He grunted, then turned around with a glare to see Nash had thrown the rock. "What are you doing?"

Nash steeled himself as he returned the glare. "No, what the hell are YOU doing?! This is going _way_ too far! You're talking about murder, man!"

"These three were always in my way. I say its time I finally get rid of them."

"What would your dad think?!"

Josh let out a mirthless laugh. "You think I actually care what my dad thinks?"

"What are you saying, Josh? That your family means nothing to you?"

The psychotic bully gave a cruel smile. "Bingo."

Nash clenched his fist before charging at his now former friend, determined to stop him. He couldn't stand by and let Josh do something this horrible. "I'm not gonna let you do this!"

His attempt to attack failed, though, as Josh grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. "You're even more worthless than I thought." Josh narrowed his eyes as he squeezed his throat. "I never should have let you in my group."

The raven haired teen gagged as he started hitting Josh's arm to try and force him to let go. Josh scowled as he started to squeezed harder, choking him.

* * *

Moments ago, Clair, Jason, and Aurora had wrapped up fighting Heartless in the area they were in.

"And that takes care of that." Clair sighed as she dismissed her Keyblade.

"This is getting too easy." Jason complained, crossing his arms. "They barely put up a fight."

"Maybe next time, you'll get knocked down by the next Heartless." Aurora snarked.

Jason was about to retort when suddenly, the three heard a loud, pained scream coming from afar.

Clair's eyes widened. "Was that Dylan?"

"I think it was." Jason said.

"It sounds like they need help!" Clair told them before she ran off after the scream.

"Clair!" Jason tried to grab her, but she was already out of his reach. Jason groaned before looking at Aurora as Clair ran ahead. "Come on."

"Why?" she questioned.

"We can't just let her go off like that." Jason retorted in reply. "And you promised you'd help start working as a team with us."

Her eyes narrowed at that, but she started following Clair. Jason did as well, following the werewolf-girl to the graveyard, where they had heard the scream come from.

By the time they arrived, they all skidded to a halt as Clair's eyes widened in shock at what they saw.

Chase, Dylan, and Anne were all lying on the ground looking very beaten up, with Chase having a black eye and Dylan's arm bent at an unnatural angle. They could see Nash being strangled by someone with dirty blonde hair.

"Hey!" Jason exclaimed. The person who was doing the strangling glanced at them.

"Drop him!" Clair yelled, horrified by seeing the trio beaten badly.

He narrowed his red eyes at them. "And you are?" he asked indifferently while he kept choking Nash, who struggled to break free.

"It doesn't matter." Jason said. "If you hurt them, then we're the ones who are going to hurt you back!"

Nash coughed as his face was beginning to turn blue from lack of air. Josh scoffed before tossing him to the ground. The black haired teen coughed, retching as he could finally breath again.

"You think you're a match for me?"

Jason narrowed his eyes. "This answer your question?" He charged right at the red eyed teen. He swung his fist at him, but Josh ducked down to avoid getting hit in the face. Josh then punched Jason in the kidney. Jason hunched over, grunting as he tried to stand back up straight in time.

"Jason!" Clair called out.

"I'm fine!" he growled.

Josh smirked. "Not for long." he said as he prepared to attack, but Jason summoned his Keyblade just in time and blocked the blow. This made Josh raise an eyebrow. "You have one of those, too?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Jason retorted before shoving him back with his weapon.

"It's the same thing she had." Josh pointed to Anne, who was struggling to crawl over to Chase and Dylan.

"Yeah, so what?" Jason asked before he threw a punch. However, Josh had caught it, much to Jason's surprise as he tried to get his fist out of Josh's grip. Clair noticed her cousin needed help and stepped in, shooting a Plasma Bolt at Josh. The dirty blonde haired teen was sent flying back from that as he crashed into a wall with a grunt. Jason then gave Clair a glance.

"Thanks, but I had it handled." he said, even though he clearly was struggling there.

"Jason, this is no time for that nonsense. Our friends are hurt, and we need to work together if we're going to get out of this." Clair told him.

Aurora shrugged. "Well, it looks like your spell did some damage."

The three looked over at him, seeing Josh was struggling to pull himself back up to his feet, growling. He was angered that they had managed to push him back.

Jason thought about it. "You're right, Aurora. It looks like he's not so tough against magic. That could be how we beat him." He turned to the two of them. "Clair, we need you to prepare your most powerful spell. Aurora and I will keep him distracted."

"Whoa. Who said I would do that?" Aurora asked .

"Me." Jason deadpanned without missing a beat.

"Don't presume to-." Aurora started.

Clair interrupted, "Not the time to argue!"

Josh then shot a ball of dark energy at them. Jason saw it and quickly blocked with his Keyblade. Clair moved back to get to work.

"Aurora, if you want to get out of this, now is the time to be a team player." Jason told her.

Aurora let out a sigh. "... fine." she muttered, avoiding his gaze. She then summoned her Keyblade and got into a fighting stance.

Josh frowned upon seeing that she, too, had a Key shaped sword as well. "What, does everyone have one of those?" he asked sarcastically as he dusted some rubble off.

"What's the matter? You want one?" Aurora snarked back.

The darkness-wielding teenager frowned at Aurora before charging at her with a dark orb in his hand, ready to slam it into her, but she quickly weaved out of the way. She then struck a few spots on his arm. Josh held his arm, cringing. "What? What did you do to my arm?!"

"I just hit some pressure points." Aurora said with a frown.

"What?!" Josh gritted out, baring his teeth. Aurora just kicked him in reply and sent him stumbling back. He then attempted to attack her, but found it hurt to use his arm. Jason saw an opening to attack and plowed his fist into Josh's stomach, making him groan.

Clair then prepared to cast the spell. "Jason, Aurora, out of the way!"

The two quickly dove out of the way for her. She used another Plasma Bolt, and Josh couldn't move out of the way in time. He was struck by it and sent flying into a tombstone, causing some rubble to fly up.

He groaned, growling as he tried to get up, then held out his other arm as he summoned a dark corridor. "This... This isn't over..." he said to them, as well as Chase, Anne, and Dylan.

"Retreating is a sign it is." Jason replied.

Josh glared at them before he limped into the corridor of darkness, seeming to vanish into the dark clouds as the portal disappeared.

"Yeah, you'd better run..." Chase weakly groaned as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Clair quickly went to check on him as Jason decided to check on Dylan.

"My arm..."

"Don't move." Jason told him as he knelt down. Dylan winced as he tried to do what he was told while Jason looked over it. "Not just broken. I think your shoulder blade is dislocated."

Dylan groaned hearing that, then winced as he felt it throb again.

"Chase? Are you alright?" Clair asked as she knelt by his side.

"Oh, hi, Clair... Why is there three of you?"

"You must have hit your head." she told him before she focused, casting Cure on Chase. His black eye and other bruises slowly faded as he shook his head, his vision clearing up. "Thanks..."

She gave a nod before moving onto Dylan. She grimaced a bit seeing Dylan's arm. "That guy also dislocated his shoulder." Jason informed her.

"I haven't healed anything broken before... so this might hurt a little." Clair warned.

"You could've sugarcoated it." Dylan told her.

He then braced herself as Clair prepared to use Cure again. "Heal!"

His broken arm healed itself as it shifted back into place while his shoulder blade was also healed. He grimaced at first, but then the pain vanished and his arm felt good as new. His eyes widened as he tested it out, seeing he could use it again. "Thank you..." he told her gratefully as he reached for his sword, placing it back in its sheath.

Clair nodded, though a bit exhausted from the use of her magic. "You're... you're welcome..."

Aurora noticed Anne was still trying to get up and walked over to her. "Need a hand?"

The green eyed teenager looked up at her. "Why? I'm just 'dead weight', after all, huh?" she frowned lightly, echoing Aurora's words with a wince. She was still rather hurt about what Aurora had called her back on Olympus when she nearly died.

"You get it." Aurora said, only for a plasma bolt to hit her in the back. She let out a grunt as she staggered forward, then looked back and saw Clair had shot it with a frown of disapproval.

"I could turn you into a worm." the mage-in-training threatened as she remembered one of the spells she had read about.

Aurora's back stung from the magic energy ball as she took a step back. "Threatening me with magic? You're no better than Jason." The teen growled.

"Hey!" Jason frowned.

"Are you kidding me? Did you forget about what we discussed back at Olympus?" Clair asked.

"No."

"Then you've got to work with us!"

"You've seriously gotta knock it off." Chase agreed, crossing his arms. Dylan had a look that basically said the same thing as he frowned at Aurora.

Anne nodded in agreement, even though her head was still aching. "Yeah... stop acting like that..." she said as she managed to get back on her feet... but then tripped right over Nash and landed on her face.

The black haired teen coughed as he used his elbows for support. "T... Thank you..." he told them, his voice hoarse from Josh strangling him.

Clair came over to him, kneeling down. "It's okay. You're going to be fine." she assured him.

"So you finally saw the truth about that psycho..." Dylan said as he used Jason for support to get off the ground.

"Who was that guy, anyway?" Jason questioned.

"That... That was Josh Harrington." Anne answered.

Jason rose an eyebrow. THAT Josh? The one that Anne mentioned about back in Radiant Garden?

"What's happened to him?" Nash asked.

"It must be like Riku said... he gave in to the darkness and can now utilize it..." Dylan said. "He's always been twisted, but now, he's even worse..."

"Twisted? He's completely unhinged." Chase said, making the 'cuckoo' sign. "His mind's gone. It's outta here."

"He was using me the whole time back home, wasn't he...?" Nash muttered as he looked down.

Anne nodded. "We're sorry, but... he never saw any of the guys he let hang out with him as friends. Just lackeys he could have follow him and do what he wanted." she told him.

Nash looked extremely dejected. He should have listened to them about Josh in the first place... but if he hadn't been here, then most likely one of them would have been dead by now.

Chase held his hand out to him, much to his surprise. "Hey, you can come with us." Chase offered.

"You look like you got nowhere else to go." Dylan noted, though he wasn't so sure of this himself. "And besides, you did manage to stall Josh from killing us."

Nash hesitated before he accepted Chase's hand, letting him help him up. Jason, however, was unsure of this. Clair cast Cure to heal Nash, but after, she felt that she had used up all her magic now.

"Thanks..." Nash muttered, slightly surprised.

"You're welcome." Clair replied, panting a bit.

After a moment, Chase then asked, "What do we do now, guys?"

"We should find the others. Let them know what happened." Dylan suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea." Jason agreed.

Anne staggered back up. "Let's go, then..."

However, her head was still swimming from Josh hitting her there, so she couldn't really tell where she was going as she turned around.

"Uh, there's a-" Aurora began, but Anne walked straight into a statue.

"Statue." Jason finished as Anne collapsed onto her back.

Aurora sighed, shaking her head. "We're doomed..." she muttered, then reluctantly held her hand out to her. "Come on."

Dazedly, Anne reached up. Aurora grabbed her hand and helped her off the ground. Clair made a mental note to heal Anne as soon as her magic recharged. Once she was up, they all left the graveyard behind.


	30. A Spirit of Healing

**Special thanks to DinoWriter23 for helping out with this chapter.**

* * *

As the group of seven walked down the path that led away from the graveyard, they kept an eye out for any signs of Heartless in case of a surprise attack.

Jason still wasn't so sure about letting Nash join the group, so he kept an eye on him just in case.

By this point, Clair's magic had recharged, so she cast the healing spell on Anne, healing her injuries.

"Oh man, thank you..." Anne said gratefully, shaking her head to get rid of any traces of dizziness left. Clair gave her a nod in reply as she then pushed open a metal gate, which creaked loudly.

"So, Nash, you said that you were traveling around a lot before you came here?" Dylan then asked. He, too, was unsure about Nash coming along, but he did save them, after all.

"Yeah, that portal kept taking me to a bunch of places, like that one place called Agrabah. I was hoping one of them would take me home, or at least help me find Josh, but a couple times, I kept seeing those guys in black hoods." Nash informed them.

"Those guys in black call themselves Organization XIII. They're up to no good." Anne explained. "But why were they talking about Josh?"

"He did mention he went to them to train, so maybe it's cause of his new powers of darkness?" Chase wondered.

"I don't know... but this is something we'd better tell the others. They know more about this stuff than we do." Dylan said.

After a moment, Chase then said, "Well... at least we didn't come across some spooky, scary skeletons in the graveyard." he joked.

"... really?"

"What? Come on, it's a good one!" Chase defended.

Clair giggled at his joke, then glanced over at Nash. "I don't think we properly introduced ourselves. My name's Clair. I normally don't look like this." she said, referring to her current werewolf form. "That guy over there is my cousin, Jason, and that's Aurora."

"Nice to meet you..." Nash nodded. "So, uh... what's the deal with the outfits? When I found myself here, I saw my appearance changed."

"Goofy said that when they go to certain worlds, their appearance change to fit in." Anne spoke up.

"Wait, worlds?!" Nash asked with surprise. He had been traveling to different worlds all this time?!

"Yep. There's a bunch out there." Chase informed him. "We've visited a few awesome ones so far."

Nash didn't know what to think. He was rather shocked by this new information. This must explain why Zafir had never heard of Halloween Town, and why this place looked so different from the other places he ended up in...

"We'll tell you more about it, later." Anne said as they walked down the cobblestone road.

It was then another Heartless, a Search Ghost, materialized in front of them. The group tensed and prepared to fight, but suddenly, a Keyblade sliced through it. It vanished back into darkness as they saw Sora was the one who had defeated it.

"You guys okay?" he asked as Donald, Goofy, and Jack ran up behind him.

"Um... sort of." Dylan replied.

"Whaddya mean?" Goofy asked curiously.

"Guys!"

They turned and saw Kairi, Riku, and Lea emerging from the forest as they ran over to them. "We took care of the Heartless in our area. What about you?" Kairi asked.

"We handled the ones in the town square with no problem!" Jack declared. "Well, maybe just a little problem, but we handled it!"

He then looked at where the other seven stood. "What about you?"

"Oh, we handled the Heartless just fine. We just, uh... ran into a little trouble." Chase rubbed the back of his neck.

"A little?" Dylan deadpanned.

"What happened?" Donald questioned.

"When we finished fighting the Heartless in the graveyard, Josh attacked us." Anne informed them. "Riku was right. He did get dark powers. It happened after the Heartless came to our world. He told us that Xemnas taught him how to use the darkness."

"Xemnas?!" Riku and Sora asked, frowns appearing on their faces.

Dylan gave a nod. "We fought back, but Josh pretty much beat the three of us up to the point where we couldn't fight back. He even broke my arm."

Sora's eyes widened. "He did what?!"

"He was about to kill us there, but Nash here stepped in and stall him."

Everyone turned to look at the newest member of the group, who averted his eyes, uncomfortable with all the stares. "It... didn't go so well."

"We heard Dylan's scream, so we rushed to the graveyard and found Anne, Chase, and Dylan all lying on the ground while Josh was strangling Nash." Clair informed them.

Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy were shocked at what they were hearing.

Jason crossed his arms. "We got Josh to retreat, though..."

"If Xemnas convinced Josh to let him train him, then something must be up..." Riku said. But what would the Organization want with Josh? Unless...

What if they were planning to use him to attack the group? Or even make him a vessel...?

Lea crossed his arms. "Where do you think he went to?"

"I don't know... I don't think he went back to these Organization guys, though." Nash muttered. Josh never really liked following other people.

"We'd better keep an eye out for him." Sora told the group. Based on what they were told, Josh was not one to be taken lightly.

Riku then walked over to Nash. "I'm sorry about what happened. Your friend, he-"

"He was never my friend in the first place..." Nash cut him off. "He was just using me the whole time back home. The minute I went against him, he tried to kill me, too."

Sora had a look of sympathy. "Well... you can find other friends." he told Nash to try and reassure him. "Actual ones. We can help you with that."

Jack scanned over the crowd before him. "Say, everyone, don't be so gloomy!" he tried to cheer them up, then looked over at Nash. "I know what might cheer you up!"

"Like what?" Nash asked.

"It's simple! Chri-"

Suddenly, something bumped into Jason, making him stumble forward a bit. "Hey!" he frowned as Lock, Shock, and Barrel ran past them. The three giggled mischievously as Lock held something in his hands.

"What's this thing?"

Jason's eyes widened as he recognized it, as did Clair. "Give that back now!"

"What, this?" Lock asked as he held up what Anne recognized as the same device that Clair had once shown her back on Radiant Garden. "What's so important about it?"

"None of your business!"

"Hmm... what do you think, guys?" Barrel asked his fellow troublemakers.

"Let's toss it!" Shock declared. Lock and Barrel nodded in agreement before Lock tossed the dosc like object. Jason was the first to leap forward as he tried to catch the item. Sora, Clair, and Chase tried to catch it as well, but weren't close enough. Jason then dove down, catching it just before it hit the ground. He sighed as he saw it was okay before he pocketed it, then glared up at the trio, who were laughing.

Jack crossed his arms, frowning. "What did I just tell you three earlier?"

The troublemakers gasped seeing that Jack was there before scrambling off. Jason shook his head. That was the second time in a row it got swiped off him...

Jack let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Once again, I am terribly sorry about them. Now, as I was saying, the place that might cheer you all up is Christmas Town. I think you might love it there!"

"You know, that sounds like a good idea." Donald commented. It could be a good chance to show Clair, Jason, and Aurora what Christmas was.

"We can check to make sure there aren't any Heartless there." Riku nodded.

Sora looked giddy at the thought of returning to Christmas Town. He couldn't wait to show Riku and Kairi that Santa Claus himself was there.

"Wait, wait, hold on, what about Nash, here? He doesn't know how to fight the Heartless." Dylan pointed out.

"He'll need to stay back for this, then." Donald told the black haired teen. Nash opened his mouth to say something, but shut it when he realized he was right. Back in Agrabah, he barely managed to hold off a couple of the Heartless.

"Right, then. It would probably be for the best." Jack nodded, but he looked just as excited to head back to Christmas Town as Sora was. "That sounds like a plan. Onwards, then!"

He strode on ahead towards the direction of the forest, making some of the group exchange a look before eventually following him. Nash lagged behind a bit, still not used to being in a new group. He had quite a lot on his mind recently, especially with the realization of what his 'friend' really was...

* * *

A few minutes later, they were walking down the dirt path as many thin trees surrounded them, but however, there was one tree just a few feet ahead of them that stood out. It was larger than the other trees, but it also had a Christmas tree design etched on the bark. Around it were several other larger trees, although they had different designs, such as a large, colored egg or a heart.

Sora was the first to reach it as he turned to them. "Alright, guys. This is it."

"Don't remember seein' that there before." Lea said to himself.

Anne rose an eyebrow, a bit confused. "Uh... where's the entrance to this place?"

Sora just gave a smirk and grabbed an ornament, which was revealed to be a doorknob, and gave it a tug as a door opened. The group gathered around it, peering down into a seemingly endless abyss as snowflakes fluttered out of it.

"Okay... who's going first?" Chase asked.

Anne silently turned on her heel to try and leave, but Aurora grabbed her by the back of her cloak, keeping her in place.

"See ya at the bottom!" Sora told them before he leapt into the doorway.

Riku and Kairi rushed to it in alarm. "Sora!"

The two exchanged a look before diving in after him. Donald, Goofy, and Jack jumped into the doorway as well, leaving the rest of the group standing there.

Chase took a deep breath as he stepped back, then leapt in after them. "Booyah!"

"Chase!" Dylan and Anne exclaimed as they rushed to the door and peered into it, hearing his faint whoops echoing.

Anne gulped, trying to steady herself before she and Dylan jumped into the hole as well. Clair followed shortly behind. Lea let out a sigh before he smirked. "Eh, might as well." he remarked before diving in. Nash followed close behind, with a reluctant Jason and Aurora following last.

The group tumbled as they fell into a seemingly endless spiral, some of them screaming as they did. Anne flailed her arms as she desperately tried to grab anything solid, but there wasn't anything at all.

Moments later, they fell through a portal. Jack and Sora were already standing there with smiles plastered on their faces as the rest of the group arrived. Riku tumbled a bit upon landing, but he managed to get back to his feet. Chase, however, landed face first in snow. As he pushed himself back up, Anne and Dylan fell right onto him, forcing the teen back down as they landed in a dogpile.

"Cold! Very cold!"

Clair grunted as she landed next to them, but when she looked up, her jaw dropped in surprise. Instead of a dark, gloomy atmosphere like they were in before, she saw it was a rather cheerful one. There was snow everywhere, and down the hill, she could see a bright and colorful town with something at the center. There were green and red lights strung up down the path, a couple red and white poles placed here and there, and there were wreaths hanging on several doors. Jason rose an eyebrow at this, seeing a building that was larger than the rest. "What is this place?"

"Welcome to Christmas Town, everybody!" Jack declared happily.

"Whoa..." Kairi, Nash, Chase, Dylan, and Anne gasped in awe.

It was then Riku noticed that their outfits had gained some Christmas attributes when they had arrived, such as Anne's cloak now having a fur lining, Sora's outfit changing into a black version of Santa Claus's outfit, Kairi now wearing a type of Mrs. Claus outfit, though black lined with pink instead of red and white, Donald now looking like a snowman, Goofy now appearing like a reindeer...

Sora helped up Riku and Kairi before gesturing down the hill towards the large building at the bottom. "That's Santa's workshop. We met Santa Claus there."

"You mean you actually met him...?" Kairi asked, though Riku was still a bit skeptic. However, the sight of a few elves downhill sort of lifted his doubt.

"Yeah! I saw the naughty and nice list and everything!"

Chase, Anne, and Dylan managed to get out of the dogpile at this point with Chase looking eager. "Can we go see him?!"

"I'm sure Sandy Claws has time for that!" Jack told him cheerfully.

Chase let out a whoop before speeding downhill, kicking up a lot of snow in the process. "What the- Chase, wait up!" Dylan called as he ran after his brother. Anne was too distracted by the beautiful sight before her to notice at first, but when she did, she scrambled after them as well to try and catch up with Chase.

Jason was starting to regret working with a speedster if he would keep doing stuff like this. Why was all this such a big deal to him anyway?

"This is awesome!" Chase exclaimed as he ran back and forth looking at the holiday items in the town square.

Clair marveled at the sight before her. It was... beautiful. The lights, the sounds, it was all giving her a warm feeling in her heart. A smile crept up on her face as well. It reminded her of the times she would spend with her parents, of how much they loved her.

She noticed a present lying by a tree and picked up with her hands/paws curiously.

Jason rose an eyebrow at the Christmas lights strung about with decorations here and there. He thought it looked a little childish. It seemed kind of flashy.

A couple elves walked past him carrying toys. That made him do a double take. Now there were tiny people who could be mistaken for children?

"What the..."

Aurora stayed off to the side looking like she didn't care. She didn't want anyone to know what she really thought.

Anne smiled at the sights before her. She always loved it when it was Christmas time back home... It made her think of the good that was out there.

It was then Chase scooped up a handful of snow. "Hey, Anne! Think fast!"

Anne saw him prepare to throw a snowball at her and paled before diving down. The snowball sailed over her and hit JASON instead. His eyes widened when he saw who he hit. Jason glared at him for a bit, before scooping up some snow of his own.

"Uh oh." Chase gulped as Jason chucked a snowball straight at his face. Chase quickly moved out of the way.

Clair did a double take. Did her cousin just join Chase in something fun?

Anne looked just as shocked, too.

Jason threw another snowball at Chase, who used his speed to dodge it as it sailed past him. The snowball ended up hitting Aurora in the shoulder. Everyone froze at that, with Goofy taking a step back just in case.

She had a surprised expression when it hit her and turned around with a frown. "Idiots." she growled.

Jason frowned, but before he could say anything, Clair spoke up. "Bet you can't beat that."

Aurora scoffed. "Oh, I'll show you I can definitely beat that." she challenged as she scooped up some snow, packing it into a snowball. She then threw it at Clair, who ducked. It ended up decking Lea right in the face, knocking him flat on his back.

"Snowball fight!" Goofy exclaimed as he quickly dove behind a snowbank. Chase made a few snowballs and started throwing them. Nash wasn't fast enough and got hit in the back.

Anne dove behind a wall, quickly scooping up some snow to make some snowballs as Riku had to duck to avoid the snowballs Chase was throwing. Clair ended up getting hit by some of the ones that Anne had thrown.

"AIE!" she cried out as she fell to the ground.

"Gotcha!" Anne called.

Clair sat up, shaking the snow off of her as Anne laughed. It was a far cry from how Anne was back in the graveyard earlier. Did it have something to do with Christmas? Did it really make people this happy?

If it did, why? What was it about Christmas that made people so happy? Was it the lights? The snow? The wrapped boxes?

She made up her mind that she was going to try to find out. She then had to duck to avoid another snowball.

Dylan made some snowballs of his own. He started throwing them as he hid behind some cover. Lea had to dive head first behind another snowbank to avoid getting hit.

Kairi pelted Sora with a snowball. He fell down, but laughed as he sat up, shaking the snow out of his hair.

Riku ended up getting Jason with a snowball as well, knocking the chestnut haired teen onto his back.

Goofy then made a big snowball that was the size of his shield. "A-hyuck! Incoming!" he announced as he held it high over his head, then tossed it at Donald.

"WAAAAAAAAAK!" Donald quacked in alarm as he tried to scramble away, but ended up getting buried underneath it. When he popped out, he was _not_ happy.

"You big palooka!" he fumed with his face turning red as he clawed his way out of the snowpile. He then made several snowballs and began throwing them everywhere in random directions. Several of the team were pelted by them. Kairi ducked down as one nearly hit her head while Aurora had to jump to the side.

Both Sora and Anne got hit, however. Sora even got some snow in his mouth from being hit.

Riku managed to block as he summoned his Keyblade in time.

"Wow, next time we have a snowball fight, remind me to have Donald on my team!" Chase joked.

"I'll be on that team." Jason remarked.

"Did you just make a joke?" Chase asked.

Jason looked at him. "That was a joke?"

"Uh, never mind..." Chase sheepishly shrugged, but then got hit by a snowball from Dylan, who was whistling innocently.

Nash found himself cheering up a little bit. It was a while since they had a friendly competition. With Josh, all they ever did in winter was ruin the snowmen and snow angels of kids across town. Now this, this was much better.

Aurora then packed a large snowball, though smaller than the one Goofy had before. She then used it to hit Jason in the back, which sent him staggering forward until he tripped, falling flat on his face in the snow.

He spat out snow as he pushed himself back up. "Oh, now you're in for it..." he said as he scooped up a large amount of snow with both of his hands, then threw it straight at her. Aurora barely had enough time to get out of the way before the large snowball landed on her.

It was then Anne had noticed something. "Hey, where'd Clair go?"

Chase looked around before shrugging. "I don't know."

Jason looked away from the little competition they were having and saw that his cousin was indeed gone. "Huh? Clair? Clair!"

* * *

Unbeknownst to the crew, Clair had wandered off during the snowball fight, as she wanted to see more of Christmas Town.

She followed some elves as they were moving presents. The mage in training rose an eyebrow. Where were they taking them?

The elves didn't seem to mind her as they went along with their own business carrying the wrapped boxes. They marched to a big red sleigh near a one of the larger buildings. There was a large, red sack in the back of the sleigh with several other presents inside of it. The elves then placed the presents they had in with the others.

However, the sack didn't seem to get any fuller. Clair took a step forward to try and get a better look. From where she stood, the sack appeared to be bottomless.

It was then the elves took notice of her.

"Huh? Who are you?"

Clair took a step back. "Um, sorry... I'm just looking around. What are you doing, though?" she asked.

"We're loading the presents into Santa's sleigh." an elf in red explained.

"Why?"

"So he can deliver the presents to good children on Christmas Eve, of course!" the other elf, who was dressed in green, said.

"And what does Santa get in return?" Clair asked curiously.

The elves looked a bit surprised by her question.. "Nothing! He does it to make the children happy! He doesn't expect anything in return each year he goes out."

That surprised Clair. "Really?" she asked, earning a nod. "No thanks? No compensation? No nothing?"

"The joy the children have when they're given their presents is why he does it. Seeing the joy they have every year is how Santa receives his thanks."

Clair thought about what she had been told. It sounded like this Santa only worked... out of charity. Out of kindness.

Was this what Chase and the others meant when they were explaining, earlier...? She'd need to ask them about it.

"We'd better get back to work." the elf in red remarked.

Clair nodded in understanding, watching as the elves resumed their work of moving the gifts.

"Giving presents to others once a year to give joy..." she said to herself. She didn't quite understand it.

She then had to move out of the way for a few other elves as they came by. Clair then walked off down another road as she observed more of her surroundings. She then found herself in a sweets shop.

Her eyes widened as she saw several types of candy in jars as a couple elves were handling the shop. They smelled absolutely wonderful.

"Care to try one?" An elf offered her as they held up a plate.

"Yes, please." she nodded as she took one and took a bite.

She took a bite of one. It tasted very good. It almost reminded her of her mother's cookies... how she wished her parents could see all this right now. She knew they'd be just as fascinated as she was. "It's delicious. Thank you." Clair told the elves, who were delighted to hear. She checked out a few more candies in the shop, trying out some samples, finding that she liked some sweets more than others. Clair wished she had a bit of whatever currency they had here so she could buy more.

She was reluctant to leave, but she wanted to explore more of the town. The werewolf-girl waved goodbye to the elves, thanking them once more before stepping out.

She then saw an elderly elf reading a story to some younger elves. Clair eavesdropped a bit, hearing a bit of the story herself.

"...Then, there appeared a new star in the east, far brighter than the rest..."

The rest was drowned out by singing. She turned, seeing a group of elves moving from door to door, singing songs. She could hear that some of the lyrics were 'we wish you a merry Christmas'. She listened to it, though she had no idea what a figgy pudding was. It sounded like it was some kind of desert.

She kept wandering around, watching little elves build snowmen. Clair found herself smiling a bit at that. She then stopped at some sort of sculpture set. It seemed to be a group of people kneeling around... a baby? She raised her eye at that. "Huh?"

Was the baby a prince? No, that didn't seem right. Yet everyone acted like it was. Maybe Anne or Chase knew.

Clair then left the set as she went along her way, but had to move out of the way as a couple elves rode by on a sled. When they went downhill, it looked like fun. She went to the hill to get a better look, but slipped and slid down the hill herself. "Whoa!"

Going down made some snow fly up the back of her shirt. Even though she had fur now, it was not a pleasant sensation for Clair. Her eyes widened and she shivered at the cold feeling. "BRR!"

She reached the bottom of the hill, coming to a halt. Quickly, she shook herself off. "Cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold!"

"There you are!"

She looked up, seeing Chase and Jason running over to where she was with the rest of the group following close behind.

"Where did you run off to?" Chase asked once he had caught up to her.

Clair had a sheepish look. "I, uh... I was checking out more of this place." she answered honestly. "Christmas seems like a beautiful thing. Everywhere I went, I saw people getting together. They were singing songs, telling stories, and I even saw these people loading gifts into a sleigh."

Chase gasped. "You saw Santa's sleigh?"

Clair nodded. Chase looked giddy at that as she continued. "They told me about how Santa Claus gives presents to children once a year to make them happy, with no compensation other than their joy."

Jason and Aurora exchanged a look, both of them raising an eyebrow.

"That's what Christmas is about, Clair. It's about giving. Not getting. It's about spending time with your family, celebrating and giving joy." Anne explained.

She looked at her friend. "I get that feeling. It's just... it feels like it can be easy to forget that amidst all the lights and the presents and everything."

Anne gave a nod. "I can understand that. But Christmas is truly about love, if you go deep enough into the origins."

Chase laughed. "Wow, Annie. I didn't know you were that kind of person."

"I learned it from my grandpa." Anne defended herself.

Dylan laughed softly as well, patting her on the shoulder. She smiled at that.

Jason and secretly, Aurora, thought about what Anne had explained. So it wasn't a holiday just for being flashy. It was a holiday to spread happiness and love...

Jason had a feeling that there would be those who would want to destroy this holiday and its meaning.

"So what does a baby have to do with love?" Clair asked.

That snapped Jason out of his thoughts. "What?"

"Something I saw while wandering."

Anne looked at her. "That ties more into the religious side of Christmas."

"There's religion involved, too?"

"Yeah. I'll explain it later." Anne told her.

It was then Sora looked ahead of them, seeing a familiar building in the distance. It was Santa's Workshop. With a smile, he grabbed Kairi's hand and Riku's jacket. "Come on! Santa's this way!"

He then started dragging his friends towards the building.

"Slow down, Sora!"

Chase smiled before running after them. Clair and Anne both exchanged a look before following the speedster with the others behind them. Nash was a bit hesitant, though. If they were really going to see Santa... there was no doubt he was on the naughty list.

"Come on." Jason grabbed Nash and began dragging him to Santa's workshop.

"What the- hey!" Nash said with surprise. Aurora sighed before following them.

Sora arrived at the door first and pushed it open. He looked at Kairi and smiled. "After you." he joked, gesturing to the door.

Kairi giggled at that and curtsied before entering.

Riku smirked at his friend knowingly, crossing his arms.

"What? I was being a gentleman!" Sora said before stepping in as well. Riku merely chuckled and shook his head before stepping in as well. The others followed the trio through the door, with Jack needing to duck down since he was so tall.

They saw elves hard at work. Next to a fireplace, they saw a chubby man with a long white beared dressed in red and white with a floppy red hat on his head as he checked a list. Anne's jaw dropped. It was Santa Claus!

Sora grinned while Riku could only stare in absolute surprise.

Jason had a feeling Riku was trying to come to terms with what he was seeing. Chase looked very excited while Dylan's jaw dropped.

Clair was surprised as well. So this was the Santa Claus everyone was talking about. He was fatter than she thought he would be...

"Hello, Mr. Claws!" Jack greeted.

Santa looked up from his list. "Oh, hello, Jack. Haven't been getting into any trouble again, have we?"

"Oh, none at all, sir!"

He then noticed the rest of the group. "Ah, Sora, Donald, Goofy. Welcome back. And you've brought more friends, too, I see."

The spiky haired teen smiled. "Yeah. Santa Claus, meet Riku. Riku, Santa." he said as he gestured to his silver haired friend, who looked like he was still processing what he was seeing.

"That's... Santa..."

"Ah, Riku." Santa nodded as he set his list down. "I believe that you were the one who told Sora that I wasn't real?"

Everyone looked at Riku at that.

"Uh..." Riku said, sounding rather flustered. "Well, you see, I thought..."

"I know what you thought." Santa nodded.

"Um... sorry." Riku sighed, hanging his head. Kairi and Sora snickered as the jolly man turned to look at the rest of the team.

"I can't believe it, we're actually meeting SANTA!" Chase smiled.

Santa let out his signature chuckle. "Ah, hello, Chase. You've been good so far this year."

Chase silently cheered at that, pumping his fist in the air. Santa then looked at Dylan and Anne. "And so have Dylan and Anne."

The two exchanged a smile before exchanging a high-five. It was then Santa turned to the ones from Harthyn. Jason had no expectations because they had never heard of Santa until recent events.

"Ah, Clair, Jason, and Aurora..."

Clair's eyes widened. "You know our names?"

"Of course. I know everyone on your world. I just haven't been able to visit because no one knows who I am there, and I cannot go where hearts are closed."

"'Hearts are closed'?" Anne repeated curiously.

"Do ya mean like the world's heart?" Goofy asked.

The jolly old man shook his head. "No, Goofy. What I mean is, that when people shut their hearts, I can't go to where they are because of their disbelief or refusal to believe." he explained.

"But people don't even know that you exist there." Anne said. "How does that count?"

Clair sighed. "It's not necessarily Santa. It's anything to do with magic. The supernatural, the mystical, the arcane. The majority of society on Harthyn doesn't believe in any of that. They only believe in what they can see, or what they want to see."

Jason gave a nod. "Yeah. That's basically how things are there."

"... ouch." Chase commented.

"That doesn't even begin to cover it." Clair said, regarding to what Chase said.

Chase rose an eyebrow at that as Santa then looked down at his list. "Now, let's see... Clair, you're on the nice list..."

The mage in training rose an eyebrow. "What?"

Santa looked back up at her. "I do keep track of everyone who's been naughty or nice. Now, as for Jason..." He glanced down at the list, making a 'tsk-tsk' noise. "The naughty list."

Chase smirked at that. Jason noticed his look and rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"And Aurora... you are also on the naughty list."

If she felt anything at that, her face didn't show it. Santa Claus, however, had a look that basically said he could tell what she was thinking. He then peered over her shoulder, seeing Nash standing behind the group.

The black haired teenager forced a slightly nervous smile, waving. "Hi, Santa..."

"Ah, Nash... I'm afraid you are indeed on the naughty list."

Nash hung his head with a sigh. "Should've figured..."

"What's so bad about the naughty list?" Clair asked curiously.

Anne turned to her. "Depending on who you ask, people on that list either get nothing, or a lump of coal."

"Oh, I see..." Clair realized. That sounded like something no one would want to happen.

"So, what brings you all here, today?" Santa then asked.

"Mr. Claws, we discovered that Clair, Jason, and Aurora didn't know about Christmas, so we decided to introduce it to them and have them meet you." Jack told the jolly old man.

"And what do you three think of Christmas now?" Santa asked.

Clair smiled. "I think it's wonderful... the lights, the colors, the warm feeling you get from it..."

Jason shrugged. "Snowball fights are fun."

Aurora crossed her arms and looked off to the side. She refused to give any answer.

"I see..." Santa nodded. "I'm sure your friends here will be delighted to teach you all about it."

"You bet." Anne piped up.

Clair wondered if Santa just read Aurora's mind. Did he have that ability?

"Dear? Who is it?" a woman called from another room.

"Just some guests, Mrs. Claus." Santa called back. Anne's eyes lit up. Mrs. Claus was here, too?

The three from Harthyn were surprised at that. Santa had a wife?

Santa turned back to the group. "Now... Nash and Jason, may I speak to you two?"

The two were confused before they followed him out of the room to another. As they did, an elderly woman wearing a red dress with a white apron came into the room with a tray of freshly baked cookies. "Oh, hello, there! Would you like a cookie?" she offered with a warm smile.

* * *

Once they were in a room separate from the rest of the group, Santa decided to speak with Nash, first.

"Now, I know how you were a bully back on your home world..." Santa began.

Nash hung his head in shame. Jason could relate to Nash, a little. He hadn't been the best with others.

"You let your actions be influenced by Josh. You chose to follow his lead. However... you didn't go far like he did, and you did save Anne, Chase, and Dylan's lives."

Nash looked up at that with confusion. "How do you-"

"I'm Santa Claus, I know all about what people do." he replied. "And what you did back there was certainly heroic. I know you've set your foot on the right path again. Who knows, you may even be on the nice list soon."

Nash was surprised, but he gave a small smile of appreciation. "Now, if you'll excuse us..." Santa had Nash go back into the room with the others before he turned to Jason.

The teen braced himself for whatever the old man would say. "Now Jason..."

"I know, I know. I've been a jerk..."

Santa nodded. "And I know why," he said, prompting Jason to look at him. "And I know about your father."

Jason was a bit surprised by that. "The choices you made reflected how he raised you."

Jason clenched his fist, but he didn't lash out. Instead, he looked down, reluctant to talk about it.

"But you have realized how wrong he was. And you have the desire to change."

Jason knew he was right. He never wanted to be like his father in the first place. "But there's too much of him in me." Jason told his fear to Santa. He never thought he'd say it out loud. His father was trying to raise him to be a 'perfect soldier', a carbon copy of him. He was afraid he'd turn into his father.

Santa, however, had a kind look. "We all have darkness in us." Santa said. "But you've begun to listen to the light. I know that you were always against him. The way he treated you... made you feel trapped."

Jason nodded. "At first, I wanted nothing to do with what I saw out here. But, lately, I've realized, I don't have to fear him anymore. He can't reach me out here."

Santa Claus nodded.

"Now... I want to find out who I truly am."

"I will tell you this: you're not your father." Santa assured him.

Jason looked at him. "Thank you. That confidence is a better gift than anything I could've found in a box with a bow."

And he meant it when he said that.

Santa smiled. "You have grown a lot, Jason. Now, before anything else..." Santa walked off to the side, reaching into a box. "I believe these are yours."

He then placed something in Jason's hand. The teen's eyes widened in recognition. They were the cards his friend had given him when he was younger, but his father tore them up. "How...?"

"A little Christmas magic." Santa told him

Jason put them in his pocket. "Thank you..."

"You are very welcome. Now... I do believe that this is something you shouldn't hide from the others, especially your cousin."

Jason sighed. "I don't know if I should tell any of them yet."

"Only you can decide that." Santa told him.

Jason hesitated, but sighed and gave a nod. "Alright..."

Santa smiled. "Now, I believe everyone else is waiting." Santa said before he led Jason back to the other room. There, they found some of the group enjoying some of Mrs. Claus's cookies.

Clair was smiling as she tried some. "What are these?"

"Snickerdoodles."

"I love them!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jason arriving. "Jason! You have GOT to try these!"

She held out a cookie to him, though she looked as if she'd rather eat it herself. Jason hesitated before he took the cookie, taking a bite. "Hey, this is good." he remarked as he found himself eating more of it.

"Aurora, I'd like to speak with you, also." Santa said. Aurora rolled her eyes, but followed him out of the room. Jason rose an eyebrow, but the chat the group was engaging in distracted him.

* * *

"Alright, what is it?" Aurora asked once they were away from the others.

"You act cold and indifferent to others, but that's because others treated you like that." Santa said. "You lost your parents due to the last war on your world, and those who should've cared for you mistreated you."

Aurora flinched, taken aback. "...how do you know that...?"

"I know these things to know who has been naughty or nice." Santa said. "And it breaks my heart to see the sadness and misery many children across countless worlds have to suffer."

For once, Aurora was sent into stunned silence. She still remembered those horrible times...

* * *

 _"Mommy? Daddy?" A little child looked around among the ruins of her home, searching for her parents. "Mommy? Daddy? Where are you?"_

 _She was confused, and also scared. Where were her parents...?_

 _She then slid down some rubble. As she got back up, she found a couple of bodies ahead of her. Her eyes widened as her eyes fell on the bodies. She recognized them immediately and her heart started to pound with fear._

 _"Mommy...? Daddy...?" She slowly approached them. When they didn't respond, she shook them, but she got the same result. "Wake up... please... I-I'm scared... M-Mommy...?"_

 _All she got was dead silence. She became even more afraid as she tried to get them to get up. "Mommy! Daddy! Please wake up!"_

 _..._

 _She had just been watching a cartoon when her foster father caught her._

 _"What do you think you're watching?!"_

 _"It's just a car-" She was then smacked across the face. She gasped as she held her face, feeling the stinging sensation._

 _Her foster father stood over her. "This is the garbage of a conquered nation. No one should watch this junk. While you live here, everything about Moruga is trash. Understood?"_

* * *

And then she remembered Jason. She caught him speaking about the war, and it sounded like he was enjoying the details. So she slugged him. Then he attacked her. The result was they both ended up in the hospital. That was basically how their whole feud started.

"The past does not have to define who you are." Santa told her. She shook her head, snapping out of her thoughts as she looked at the man in red. She honestly had no idea what to say at that. But she had a lot to think about, now.

"Now, I must ask you this: will you be ready to let go of your fight with Jason?"

She looked at him. "I don't think he's sorry."

"Ask him." Santa said.

"Huh?"

"Ask him. Who knows, there may be more to him than you think." Santa said cryptically. Aurora then decided it was time to head out. She turned to leave, but Santa spoke up.

"Please remember this, Aurora." Santa advised. Aurora paused for a moment, but gave a faint nod before stepping out.

The others were still eating sweets when she came back.

Sora was the first to notice her arrival. "Oh, hey, Aurora. Want some?"

"Not yet." She then looked at Jason. "We need to talk."

Jason was silent for a moment as he finished eating another cookie. "About what?"

Aurora grabbed him by his sleeve. "Just come on..."

The girl dragged him out of the building before he could protest. The two now stood alone outside Santa's workshop.

She then looked at him. "You remember First Level?"

"First Level? When you slugged me for talking about the wars Netokan won?"

"You were boasting about how weak Moruga was in the Morugan War."

"I wasn't. I was just talking about the tactics."

"Well it sounded like boasting to me."

Jason sighed. "Look. I was stupid then."

"Then?" Aurora asked. "You're still-."

"Just let me finished. I said things back then I regret because I can see they were wrong. I'm sorry for ever being... you know. I shouldn't have said it the way I did. It was wrong." Jason looked away after saying that. "... I'm sorry."

Aurora blinked in surprised. Was Jason actually... apologizing?

"I shouldn't have said those things."

She pinched herself to check if she was dreaming. She felt the slight pain, but found that this was in fact real. She wasn't dreaming.

"Do you forgive me?"

She thought about it for a moment, then said, "I need some time."

Jason sighed, but gave a nod in reply. "Alright, then."

They then headed back inside to rejoin the others. They could see that all the cookies were gone by this point.

"Where'd you two go off to?" Clair asked as she noticed them come back.

"Nowhere. Just need to talk for a moment." Aurora said.

Clair scrutinized them. She just hoped they hadn't gotten into another fight again.

"... now, I do believe you're out fighting the Heartless again?" Santa Claus said to Sora.

"Right." the spiky haired teen nodded in reply. "We're trying to stop the Organization."

"Well, I have full confidence that you can do it." Santa told him.

Sora's eyes lit up. "You got it, sir!"

Santa then turned to look at Riku. "And as for you... you're forgiven for what you told Sora."

"Um... thank you, sir." Riku muttered. Sora couldn't hide his smirk, which Riku notice and rolled his eyes. "I think we should probably get going, now."

"So soon?" Jack inquired.

"Yeah. We're sorry, Jack. But we do have to deal with the Heartless." Goofy told him. "If we don't, then more will come here, and maybe even Christmas Town."

Clair and Anne found themselves wanting to stay for just a bit longer, but knew that Goofy was right.

Jack sighed, but gave a sad nod. "I see..." He then perked back up. "Well, good luck, friends!"

It was time for them to go. "Bye, Mr. Claus." Kairi smiled before turning to Mrs. Claus. "Thank you for the cookies."

"Come back any time, dearies." Mrs. Claus smiled.

The group then left the workshop, waving their goodbyes as they stepped out the door.

* * *

The cold wind hit their faces as they left the large building.

Chase, Clair, and Anne turned to look back at Santa's Workshop one more time as the rest of the team began to head back towards the hill. They were reluctant to leave, honestly.

Lea noticed them lagging behind and called back, "C'mon, slowpokes!"

"Slowpoke?" Chase asked, then smirked as he sped ahead of him, kicking up snow and getting it all over Lea, almost making him look like a human snowman. Clair giggled at that while Anne burst into laughter. Lea had a deadpan expression before shaking off the snow.

"Wise guy..."

They then headed to the tree that would take them back to Halloween Town.

Sora opened the door and ran in. This time, he was sucked upwards, as were the others as they jumped in. It was a rather strange sensation, as Nash could feel his stomach churning as they were sent up.

Moments later, they saw an opening and were sent out of it, seeing the familiar gloomy and dark atmosphere of Jack's home. Clair shivered at the sight. The cheeriness of Christmas Town almost made her forget what Halloween Town was like.

Jack stood back up, dusting some stray snowflakes off of his black pinstripe suit. "I suppose this is where we part ways again."

"For now." Sora said. "But we'll be back."

Jack's eyes, or rather, eye sockets, lit up. "Fantastic! Please come back soon! Next time, Halloween Town might have something even spookier! Or maybe even a dash of Christmas?"

"Jack!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy scolded, remembering his obsession the last time they were there.

"Kidding, kidding!"

Anne smiled. "It was nice meeting you." she said.

"You and everyone else are welcome to come back, as well." Jack told the rest of the team with a smile. "Now, I should go back home. Sally's probably wondering if I've gotten into any trouble again."

He and Sora shook hands before the skeleton turned on his heel, waving goodbye as he left. "Happy Halloween!"

"... so, um... how do we get out of here?" Nash asked after a moment once the Pumpkin King was out of sight.

"This way." Riku said before the group headed out of the forest to where the Gummi Ship had been parked. Nash was taken aback by the neon colored ship.

"You travel in that?"

Donald walked up to it, pushing a button as a platformed lowered for them. One by one, the rest of the team boarded the colorful spaceship. However, Nash hesitated for a moment.

Dylan turned back to him. "Well? Are you coming?"

Nash snapped out of it before running onto the platform. He saw a bright light, forcing him to squint. When it died down, he saw the inside of the ship. "Whoa..."

Clair looked down at herself, seeing she was human again. She sighed. "No more fur, I see..."

Nash blinked in surprised as he realized everyone's forms were normal again before looking down at himself, seeing his outfit was back to normal, much to his relief.

Anne let out a sigh as she flopped down into a chair. "Welcome to the Gummi Ship, Nash..."

She then realized that her headphones were back. Glad they had reappeared, Anne placed them on over her ears in order to listen to some music on her device. However, to her surprise, the song that they had heard earlier started to play. She rose an eyebrow at that. "What the heck?"

"What is it, Anne?" Dylan asked.

Anne took off her headphones, handing them over to Dylan, who held them against his ear to listen. He was surprised as well. "What's this song doing on here?"

"Whaddya mean?" Donald asked as he turned to them.

"You remember that song everyone was singing earlier? For some reason, it's on my playlist now." Anne explained.

The talking duck rose an eyebrow at that. "What?"

Anne handed him her headphones to let him listen for a moment. "That's weird..."

"Maybe it could be like those times where we found certain items on our adventures before?" Goofy suggested. "Maybe it's the same with her music player? Maybe songs can get added to Anne's music whenever we visit a place with songs?"

"That sounds awesome!" Chase commented as he sat down in a chair.

"But why?" Clair asked curiously. "What does it mean?"

Donald handed the brown haired girl her headphones back as he took his own seat. Everyone else found a chair to sit in except for Nash, realizing that all the chairs had been taken.

"... I'll sit on the floor." Nash said awkwardly as he took a step back. Sora grasped the controls in his hands, starting the ship up. Anne braced herself once more, gripping the sides of her chair tightly as she held her breath.

"You might wanna hold onto something." Riku warned the newest member of the team casually.

"Wait, what?"

The ship jerked forward, blasting off into the sky. The liftoff caused Nash to fall flat on his back. "WHOA!"

Chase couldn't resist and threw his arms up into the air as if he were on a roller-coaster. "YAHOO!"

"Really?!" Dylan yelled over the roaring of the engine.

By the time the Gummi Ship had slowed down, Nash had to use a chair to pull himself back up to his feet, a bit shaken from the sudden experience. He was about to say something, but his eyes wandered over to the window. His blue eyes widened as he found himself staring at an endless sky filled with stars and clouds of various colors.

Anne made herself comfortable in her seat as she placed her headphones back on over her ears. She was rather tired and thought that a nap would be nice at the moment. Clair, though, was still deep in thought about what they experienced in Christmas Town.

Jason, however, hung back in the seat that was the furthest away from the others, looking deep in thought as he reached into his pocket when he thought no one was looking.

Out of the corner of her eye, Aurora saw him pull out the small, disc shaped object that Lock, Shock, and Barrel stole from him earlier. He pressed a button in the center on it and a holographic image popped up. Aurora's eyes widened in surprise as she saw exactly _why_ he was so protective of it.

It had pictures of himself and a woman that looked a little bit like him. It was his mother. Some of the images showed the two looking happy together. But none of the pictures had any of his father in them.


	31. Salem

Nash stared out the window as the Gummi Ship traveled through the Lanes Between. He was still trying to process everything they had told him about during the flight, like there being many other worlds, the darkness, Heartless, Xehanort, and Nobodies, as well as the Organization's goal. "... so since you guys can fight the Heartless, what am I supposed to do?"

"We can teach you about how to fight them, as well as whatever enemies we come across." Riku offered as he looked over his shoulder. "We can find you a weapon to use. Or maybe even some magic."

"Magic?" Nash asked with surprise as he looked away from the window, but then remembered seeing Clair use it in the graveyard back in Halloween Town. "Oh. Right..."

Anne and Dylan had fallen asleep in their seats as Sora piloted the Gummi Ship. They were both still a bit worn out from the confrontation with Josh, as well as the Christmas Town visit. They were both glad to get a little rest.

Clair was letting Chase read the spellbook with her, since he had earlier remarked he could use some practice with his magic. At the moment, Chase was trying to practice the Fire spell, only for it to sizzle out in his hand. Jason was just staring out the window off to the side.

Aurora was silent as she stared down at the floor, deep in thought about what Santa had told her, and she also thought about Jason's apology. Was she ready to forgive him...?

Sora kept his eyes on the path ahead of him as he flew the ship, keeping an eye out for any worlds ahead of them. "Sorry there's not enough seats, Nash." he told the black haired teen a bit sheepishly. "But I think I know someone who can install some more seats into the ship, soon."

"Who?" Nash questioned curiously.

"His name's Cid. He helped us out a lot with the Gummi Ship before." Goofy informed him.

Chase looked up in surprise, remembering when they met the man back in Radiant Garden. That guy worked with stuff like this?

It was then the beeping of the monitor caught their attention. The sound made Dylan wake up as he sat back up, squinting as he opened his eyes.

Anne shifted in her seat before she cracked an eye open, drowsily taking her headphones off and placing them back around her neck. "Huh?" she yawned.

Goofy looked at the monitor with Sora. Some messages appeared on it, followed by the outline of a world. "It says we have a world coming up, everybody!" he announced.

"Do you guys recognize it?" Kairi asked as she walked over to Sora's side.

Goofy shook his head. "No, but we're getting closer. Better hang on!"

That was enough to get Anne and Dylan to fully wake up as they bolted upright in their seats. Sora began to pilot the Gummi Ship towards the new world as everybody prepared themselves for the landing. Nash grabbed onto the back of a chair just in case, not wanting to be caught off guard like the last time.

The group could see a light ahead of them as Sora flew the Gummi Ship closer to the world they were approaching. Once they had arrived, Sora slowed the Gummi Ship down, then eventually landed it in a secluded area. The spiky haired teen then peered over his shoulder at his teammates.

"You guys ready to head out?" he asked.

"Hold on." Riku spoke up as he looked out the window. "If we're in an unfamiliar world, then maybe one of us should stay with the Gummi Ship, just in case for this trip."

The group exchanged a look before Lea sighed, raising his hand. "I'll sit out for this one. Besides, I think I need a nap, anyway." he commented as he stretched, yawning.

"Then I'm staying, too." Riku nodded as the rest of the team prepared to leave.

Anne stretched as she got out of the chair she was sitting in. "We'll see you later, then..."

"Be careful, guys." Riku then told his friends.

Kairi gave him a smile. "You got it, Riku... I'll keep an eye on Sora."

"Hey!" Sora playfully frowned, earning a giggle from Kairi.

Chase then remembered that Nash was with them and glanced over his shoulder. "Are you coming?" he questioned.

The black haired teen hesitated for a moment, thinking about it. Maybe if he went with them, it would help him get used to this kind of travelling. "... yeah. I'll go." he nodded.

Together, the group, except for Riku and Lea, headed to the door as it opened for them. They stepped out of the ship one by one, finding that they had landed behind a set of bushes. Once they were all out, Sora and Dylan pushed some branches out of the way.

To their surprise, they found they had arrived in a rather normal looking town, with buildings, fences, trees, and cars. In fact, it reminded Anne, Chase, Dylan, and Nash of their homeworld just a bit.

Anne then looked down and blinked with surprise, seeing that she was back in her Halloween Town outfit. "What the...? Guys?"

The rest of the team noticed her, looking just as surprised before they glanced down at themselves, finding they were also back in their halloween forms. However, there were a few things that were different.

Clair didn't look like an actual werewolf like she did back in Halloween Town. Instead, her clothes had actually changed into a costume. She had a pair of wolf ears atop her head, a pair of gloves with claws, a fake tail, and her clothes were slightly torn for the look with fake fur poking out of some of the tears.

Dylan's feet were normal this time and this time, he had his shoes on. Anne's Halloween costume was pretty much the same as before, except that her headphones were still around her neck this time.

Nash looked down as his once again bandaged arms. "Why do we look like this, again?"

"I think it's cause its Halloween here, too." Goofy said as he pointed over to some decorations that adorned some of the buildings. There were also some people in costumes getting ready as they were setting out some more decorations, such as jack-o-lanterns and fake cobwebs.

"We should probably take a look around." Donald suggested. "See what we can find out?"

"Sounds like a good idea." Sora nodded. They then stepped out from behind the bushes, acting natural as they headed towards a nearby path.

As they walked, they began to look at their surroundings. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. People were just going about their daily business as it appeared to get close to evening.

"Hey, nice costumes!" one person complimented them as they passed by.

"Thanks." Sora smiled as he gave a wave. "Hey, um, we're kind of new here. Where are we?"

The woman rose an eyebrow, but replied, "You're in Salem."

"Salem? Okay, thank you." Sora told her, then saw a couple other buildings, most likely stores, just a few blocks away. Maybe they could find out some more about this new, there. It could maybe even help Nash out with getting used to this.

* * *

On the outskirts of Salem, a dark portal appeared as a certain evil witch and fat anthropomorphic cat stepped out of it. Pete took a quick look around, scruching his nose. "This place doesn't look like much. Are you sure we'll find any clues here? Olympus was a complete bust."

Maleficent stroked the orb on her staff. "It's quite possible..." she said calmly as she observed the town from where they stood.

"This place is kind of a dump." Pete muttered with disdain.

"Now, Pete, it may be quaint, but it may hold a clue to where we may find the box..." She began to walk forward with a stoic expression. "After all, I do believe that this world has been around for quite a while. Come along... perhaps someone can be of use to us..."

* * *

Back in the town, the group had wandered through the streets. They couldn't see any signs of danger, such as the Organization or Heartless. In fact, the town seemed rather peaceful.

"Wow... maybe we didn't need to come here, after all." Chase remarked as he looked at their surroundings, nibbling on a candy bar that some friendly folk were handing out for the festivities. Anne was also sipping on a Pepsi that some people were handing out for free.

"You never know, though." Sora remarked as he folded his arms behind his head.

It was then Clair noticed a small crowd gathering around by a corner, making her raise an eyebrow. "Hey, what's going on over there?"

The group came to a halt as they looked in the direction the crowd was in. "Hmm... whaddya say we go check it out?" Goofy asked the group.

Kairi paused to ponder for a moment. "Yeah. Maybe we can find out more about this place over there."

Jason sighed. "I... guess it wouldn't hurt."

The team made their way over to the crowd, where they could see the group seemed to be intrigued by something. They paid no attention to them, as they were looking at a woman dressed up in a witch's outfit. She smiled at them as she beckoned them closer.

"Gather 'round, everyone. For you are about to be told the legend of the Sanderson Sisters and Thackery Binx." she told the crowd before her.

This earned looks of confusion from the group, but also looks of excitement from the rest of the crowd. "300 years ago on this very day, Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson had brought a young girl named Emily Binx to their home in the woods."

"Uh... who?" Sora wondered out loud, earning some chuckles from the people around them.

The woman just smiled with an understanding look. "You don't know? Then you must be new to Salem. The Sanderson Sisters were witches from long ago that could use dark magic and suck the lives out of children in order to remain young."

Clair, Anne, Sora, Nash, Dylan, and Chase's eyes widened hearing that while Jason, Donald, Goofy, and even Aurora were disturbed upon hearing that.

"Gawrsh..." Goofy gulped as Kairi shivered, trying to get the thought of such a thing out of her head.

"One day, on All Hallow's Eve, Sarah used her enchanting voice to lure a young girl named Emily Binx away into the forest. However, Emily's older brother, Thackery, spotted her and ran to rescue his little sister from the witches, but alas, he was too late. The sisters used their potion to suck the life out of poor Emily while Thackery had been subdued."

The group were shocked at the story they were being told.

"That poor girl..." Clair whispered.

"And to force Thackery to live with the guilt of being unable to save his sister, they transformed him into a black cat. Shortly after, the town had found the witches and hung them. Just before they died, they cast a spell so that they would be resurrected on the night of All Hallow's Eve when a virgin would light the Black Flame Candle." the woman continued to tell the tale. "No one knew of what had happened to poor Thackery Binx. Not even his family. Legend says that he still roams around Salem, guarding the Sanderson house to prevent them from returning to this very day."

"Wow... now that's quite the story..." Dylan said, shuddering a bit.

"A pretty sad one, too." Anne remarked.

The woman nodded in reply. "Yes, quite sad, indeed. But who knows, you might even see a certain black cat prowling the streets tonight..."

Sora crossed his arms. Just the very thought of three witches sucking a child's life force out was very unnerving. Could this legend actually be true? And if it was... then would there be Heartless lurking around this place?

It was then Kairi realized something as she looked around. "Uh, guys? Where's Nash?"

The spiky haired teen snapped out of his thoughts as he looked in the crowd, seeing that Nash was indeed missing. "Where'd he go?" Chase wondered out loud, raising an eyebrow.

* * *

Shortly before the woman had finished telling the story, Nash had decided to check out a bit more of the town of Salem. Right now, he was walking by a wooden fence with a couple decorations hanging on it. He was glad that it wasn't like Halloween Town, at least. This town almost reminded him of home, although a little different. It made him miss it just a bit more.

He didn't know what he was going to do now that he was traveling with Sora and his friends. He didn't know how to fight, so how would he be able to help out the group since he was a part of it, now?

"Is something troubling you, child?"

Nash jumped and turned around to see where the voice came from. To his surprise, he saw a woman with pale green skin wearing a horned headdress with black and purple robes while carrying a scepter of some sorts. The woman had a sinister looking expression on her face.

"Uh... n-no, nothing at all." Nash lied, unnerved by the strange woman. Who was she? She definitely didn't look like she was one of the residents of this world...

"It does seem like something's on your mind... let me help you." the woman offered, a sly smile appearing on her face. "Let your worries be put to rest."

Nash took a step back, starting to get creeped out by her. "Um... I'm good, thanks." he denied. Something didn't feel right about this woman. It almost reminded him of how Josh was when he had found him again. "I should really get going now... got places to be."

"Oh, but I insist... Perhaps you could help me find something, in return..." the woman kept smiling as she took a step towards him.

Finally, Nash lost his patience. "Back off, you weirdo!" he exclaimed before he turned on his heel and ran away, leaving the woman standing there in silence, her sinister smile replaced by a dissatisfied scowl.

A moment later, some nearby bushes rustled as Pete poked his head out, surprised by the events he had just witnessed. He climbed out, shaking some leaves off as he went to Maleficent's side. "Well, that didn't go as planned. Did you hear the way that pipsqueak told you off, Maleficent? That was just-"

"Silence." Maleficent deadpanned, tapping the ground with her scepter and shocking Pete with a bolt of magic.

"YEEEEEOOOOOUUUUCCCCHHHH!"

* * *

Nash panted as he dashed away from the area, intent on finding the rest of the group. He was wishing he didn't wander off, now. Whoever that lady was, he could tell she was definitely not friendly.

He rounded a corner, only to run smack dab into someone and fell flat on his back. "Ouch!"

"Nash!"

Upon hearing his name, he looked up to see Dylan and Anne staring down at him. "Where'd you go off to?" Dylan questioned.

The teen quickly jumped up to his feet, brushing himself off. "Uh, just checking out the rest of the town. Trying to see what's around here."

"Well, next time, give us a warning." Dylan scolded lightly.

"Sorry..." Nash muttered.

Anne gestured for the new member of the group to follow them. "The others are looking for you. Come on, this way."

The two led him back to the rest of the group, who were in the town square searching around. "We found him!" Anne called, gaining their attention.

Donald turned around and crossed his arms as the trio approached them as he tapped his foot impatiently. "There you are." he frowned.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Nash apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. He was internally debating whether or not to let them know about the woman he had met, but Jason spoke before he could even open his mouth.

"Well, we haven't seen a trace of a single Heartless anywhere."

"Doesn't hurt to double check." Kairi told him with a shrug.

Clair looked up and realized the sky was starting to grow darker as the sun began to set. There were also people starting to stroll down the streets in their costumes.

"Looks like the trick-or-treating's starting." Chase remarked.

"Then we'd better wrap this up. If there's no signs of danger here, then we should probably go." Aurora said as she crossed her arms.

They started to walk down the road together, but Nash decided he had better tell them about his encounter with the woman. "Um, guys? A little before I ran back into Anne and Dylan, I met some weird lady."

A few members of the group paused to look back at him. Sora rose an eyebrow. "What did she look like?"

"Well... she had really pale green skin. She had some kind of horns and was wearing black and purple robes. I think she was carrying some kind of staff." Nash told them.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi all paled as they figured out exactly _who_ Nash was talking about. "What did she say to you?" Donald asked with a serious tone.

"She was asking me if something was on my mind and said she could help me out if I did something in return for her. I got the heck out of there." Nash replied, then noticed their expressions. "What? Do you... know her?"

"Nash, that was Maleficent. She definitely doesn't want to help you." Sora told him with a frown.

"Wait, Maleficent? That one lady you mentioned back in Radiant Garden?" Anne asked the blue eyed boy. He nodded in reply, the frown still etched on his face.

"She's the evil witch we told you guys about, and she's got a load of dark spells to back her up." Sora said.

Nash rose an eyebrow as he looked at Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy. "Did you guys face her before?"

"We did. She tried to plunge all the worlds into darkness the first time that Sora, Donald, and Goofy fought her." Kairi explained, frowning as she remembered her experience when the witch took the Princesses of Heart, as well as manipulated Riku. "Xehanort told her about the worlds in the first place and he used her for his plans."

"The last time we faced her was when she snuck into the King's castle." Goofy added. "She and her sidekick Pete tried to kidnap Queen Minnie and wanted something from us, but Lea sent them packing."

"She'll try to use you to get whatever she wants." Donald warned. "So don't listen to her no matter what!"

"Using someone...? That sounds familiar..." Nash crossed his arms, shaking his head with a sigh.

"If Maleficent is here, then she's definitely up to no good." Goofy told the group.

Sora nodded in agreement. "We'll need to keep an eye out for her or Pete. With those two around, something bad's bound to happen." he said as he began to walk ahead of them. "Come on, guys. We'd better get moving."

The rest of the group quickly followed the spiky haired Keyblade wielder's lead as they headed into the neighborhood. Several peopled dressed in costumes passed by them with bags and buckets ready to be filled with candy.

They didn't have anything to worry about except for which house to go to next.

"Looks like they're having fun." Dylan remarked.

"Yeah..." Anne nodded, moving out of the way for some children as they ran by. Out of thr corner of her eye, she noticed Chase heading towards a nearby house. "Uh, Chase? What're you doing?"

Chase paused in midstep and turned to his friend. "What? I thought since we're dressed up like this, maybe we could get some candy, too?"

"We don't have any time for that!" Donald denied, crossing his arms. "Right, Goofy?"

However, he turned and saw Goofy coming back from a house with a handful of candy. "A-hyuck! Want some, everyone?" he offered some of the candy he got to the team. Sora couldn't help but smile at that. Nash's stomach growled, so he accepted a piece of candy since he was rather hungry.

Donald's jaw dropped, but he quickly shook his head in disbelief. "Goofy!"

* * *

A few moments later, the group were heading down another street together. Goofy and Chase had gotten some candy from a couple houses during their little trek, sharing it with the others.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Chase remarked as he handed Donald a chocolate bar.

"I guess not..." Donald sighed as he accepted the candy, taking a bite. His eyes lit up before he took another bite of it.

Aurora silently took a piece of candy corn from Goofy. Clair gave Chase a grateful smile as she took another piece of candy Chase offered her.

So far during their patrol, they saw no sign of Maleficent or any Heartless in Salem. It was almost too quiet.

"Maybe there's nothing to worry about..." Jason said after a moment.

Suddenly, the silence was interrupted by the sound of children screaming. Nearly half of the team jumped in surprise.

"You jinxed us!" Dylan groaned before they ran off the direction of the screams. They dashed around a corner, but instead of seeing creatures of darkness or the evil sorceress, they saw two teenagers harassing a group of trick-or-treaters.

"Hey, give me back my candy!" a kid dressed up as a goblin exclaimed while his friends ran away.

"It's ours, now!" one of the teenagers, a lanky boy with long, blonde hair wearing a leather jacket with a red flannel shirt tied around his waist, cackled as he yanked a bag out of his hands. The other teen was a bit more heavyset and wore a brown jacket with a type of fedora. He smirked and high-fived his accomplice as they started to dig into the bag of stolen candy.

Nash paused in midstep as he remembered once doing a similar thing back then, but shook his head.

Sora frowned at the display before he marched toward the two bullies. "Hey! What do you two think you're doing?"

The blonde haired teenager smirked. "What's it look like? Getting free candy."

"Well, give it back. It's not yours." Sora retorted.

"Oh, really?' And what are you gonna do about it, Spike?" the other bully challenged, plucking at one of the spikes in Sora's hair before shoving him.

The rest of the group frowned at the two bullies as Kairi stood by Sora's side while Jason crossed his arms. "You better back off."

"And what if we don't?" The blonde haired bully smirked.

Anne stepped forward. "Do you really wanna find out?" she threatened.

He smirked at her, unfazed. "Well hello, there, cutie. My name's Jay. And this is Ernie."

The other bully looked annoyed as he yanked him back. "I told you, it's ICE." he hissed, gesturing to the back of his head, which had the word shaved into it.

Jay shrugged it off as he eyed Anne, who just kept glaring. "Whaddya say you and me go ditch these losers? Go do something fun?" he smirked as he approached her, trying to flirt with the green eyed girl.

"Back off." Anne frowned.

"Aw, why you gotta be like that? Come on." Jay smirked as he grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away. It was clear he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Dylan glared at him and took a step forward, looking ready to punch him. Anne had an angered look on her face before she clenched her fist, wrenched her arm out of his grasp, and promptly socked Jay straight in the jaw, much to the group's surprise. "I said _back off!_ "

Jay stumbled, holding his face with a shocked look. Sora took this opportunity to snatch the stolen candy away from him.

Ice quickly helped Jay stand back up, both of them taking a couple steps back. "Come on, Jay... we can go find some free candy somewhere else." Ice shot them a glare before the two bullies ran off.

Jason was surprised that Anne had punched him. Aurora was actually mildly impressed by her act.

Anne scowled in the direction of where the two bullies ran off. "What a total jerk..." she growled.

Dylan and Chase quickly checked on Anne. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Anne muttered, giving a nod. She couldn't believe what a creep that guy was...

"Nice punch, though." Chase praised his friend.

Once Jay and Ernie were out of sight, Sora knelt down to the boy, handing him back the bag. "Here, I think this is yours." he told him, giving a friendly smile.

"Wow, thanks, mister!" the boy thanked him gratefully before running off to rejoin his friends. Sora cracked a smile before he stood back up.

"Let's hope we don't run into those creeps again." Anne muttered, dusting herself off. If she saw them again, she'd definitely give them another fist to the face.

They then resumed their trek down the road. However, they saw no signs of any other kind of trouble. Jason started to realize that they were getting nowhere doing this the way they were right now.

"Guys, we should probably split up. It'll help us search around more quickly." he pointed out.

Clair paused to think about it, then nodded. "Yeah, I suppose that's a good idea." she agreed with her cousin.

"How about Kairi, Dylan, Anne, Clair, Nash, and I head this way?" Sora gestured to a direction.

"Then Jason, Aurora, Donald, Goofy, and I will check out this side." Chase nodded, jabbing his thumb towards a different street. Aurora and Jason didn't protest being put together in a group, but instead, they both remained silent. Clair noticed this before gesturing to Chase to lend her his ear.

"Hm?"

"Can you keep an eye on them? You know, in case they both start to..." Clair whispered, trailing off. Chase got the message and gave her a nod.

"No problem, Clair." he told her, then clapped his hands. "Alrighty, then! Ready to head out?"

Dylan gave a nod in reply. "Yeah. If anything goes wrong, let's meet by the town square." he suggested. "Be careful."

"I always am." Chase replied. Dylan and Anne just exchanged a look at that before the groups split up, both of them heading down the direction they decided to go in.

* * *

"... so if this Maleficent does show up, what do we do?" Nash asked the group he was with.

Sora looked at him, explaining, "Well, we make sure she isn't anywhere near the people, that way no one gets hurt."

"Sounds like a plan." Anne agreed as she looked around. She saw several people dressed in black with green makeup, but none of them fit Maleficent's description. This was going to be harder than she thought...

It was then when they rounded a corner, they nearly bumped into a couple of people. One was a teenage boy their age wearing a brown jacket over a dark gray shirt with jeans, as well as a cap. The other was a little girl around 8 with light brown hair wearing a black, red, and orange witch's outfit, complete with a pointed hat.

"Whoops. Sorry." the little girl apologized.

Kairi just smiled. "It's fine."

The girl then noticed their outfits. "Hey, those are nice costumes!"

Sora smiled as Kairi giggled, crouching down to her level. "Thank you. Yours looks great, too."

"Thanks! I'm Dani, and this is my brother Max." she introduced, gesturing to the teenage boy.

"Hey..." Max muttered, though he looked like he'd rather be elsewhere.

"I'm Sora. This is Kairi, Clair, Anne, Dylan, and Nash." Sora introduced. Each of them gave a wave or nod in acknowledgement.

"Are you out trick-or-treating, too?"

"Sort of..." Anne shrugged. "We're kind of looking for someone at the moment."

"Oh... okay, we'll let you get back to it. Hope you find whoever you're looking for. Come on, Max!" Dani called as she ran by them. Max just groaned lightly before following his sister.

The group then turned to each other, getting in a type of group huddle. "Guys, I doubt Maleficent's anywhere in this part of town." Kairi spoke up.

Clair gave a nod. "We'd better look somewhere else."

They then heard some screaming and saw that Jay, Ice, and a few other teenagers were terrorizing more trick-or-treaters while also tearing up some decorations.

"Not them again..." Anne scowled.

"I'll be right back." Sora sighed before approaching them. At the same time, Dani was trying to get past them.

"Ding ding!" Ice said. "Pay the toll, kid. Ten chocolate bars, no licorice."

"Drop dead, moron." Dani retorted. The bullies gave a mocking 'ohhh' as Ice smirked.

"How'd you like to be hanging off that telephone pole?"

"How about you lay off?" Sora retorted, making his presence known. Jay and Ice turned around woth a bit of surprise.

"You again, Spike?" Jay frowned. "Where are those group of losers you were with?"

"Hanging back there. And they aren't losers." Sora frowned, crossing his arms as he stood his ground.

"It's okay, Sora. I have my big brother with me. Max!" Dani called to Max, who just groaned. The bullies laughed when they saw him.

"Hey, its Hollywood! Oh no!" Jay mocked. "So you're doing a little trick or treating, huh?"

"Just taking my little sister out." Max defended as he had Dani step back.

Jay smirked and flicked his cap. "What're you supposed to be? A new kid on the block?" he asked, giving an obnoxious laugh that the rest of the group could hear from where they stood.

"For your information, he's a little leaguer!" Dani spoke up. Jay, Ice, and the other bullies burst into laughter as they made mocked Max, pretending to swing a baseball bat. Max rolled his eyes and tried to leave, but Ice stopped him.

"Ah, ah, ah, everbody pays the toll to pass."

"Stuff it, zitface!" Dani frowned. Ice glared at her and prepared to move towards her, but Max got in his way, shoving his candy bag into his arms.

"Take it. Let's get outta here, Dani..." Max muttered as he walked past them with Dani following shortly behind.

"By the way, nice shoes you gave us earlier! They fit perfectly!" Ice called at Max to spite him.

Sora frowned as Ice and Jay smugly dug into the bag of candy. Before he turned around to leave, he silently cast the Aero spell, causing the candy to fly into their faces while also knocking the two bullies off their feet. As they let out a cry of surprise, Sora walked away to rejoin the group.

Dylan gave a nod of approval. "Nice one." he told him before they began to walk away from the area.

Nash was starting to think that they should look elsewhere, since there wasn't a trace of Maleficent in sight. Kairi looked like she had the same idea.

"Maybe we should check somewhere else out..." Kairi suggested.

Sora nodded. "Yeah, maybe we could check out that section down-"

He was cut off when Dani suddenly ran past them crying, much to their surprise. Max quickly followed her.

"Dani, wait up!"

"What happened?" Clair asked, but Max didn't answer, as he had already ran around a corner after his sister. The group exchanged a look before they silently agreed to see what the matter was.

By the time they found them, they saw that Dani had stopped crying and Max seemed to be in a lighter mood. They couldn't exactly hear exactly what they were saying, but they saw Max point up at the full moon in the sky. When Dani looked, he engulfed her in a surprise hug, causing her to laugh.

The group of six then walked over to them. "Hey, is everything okay?" Anne questioned.

Max blinked when he noticed them, letting go of Dani, who giggled. "Yeah, just had a little fight, that's all... we got over it." He then noticed Sora and gave him a nod. "Hey, thanks for trying to help Dani out back there."

Sora folded his arms behind his head, giving a smile. "It was nothing. We had to deal with those two earlier, anyway."

"Yeah, they're just all talk." Anne nodded, but then her eyes wandered over to the building that Max and Dani had stopped in front of. Her eyes widened, seeing it was rather large compared to the rest of the houses in the area.

Dylan noticed her gaze and followed it, seeing the house as well. His look mirrored hers when he saw the building.

"Whoa..." Max and Dani said with awe.

"Check out this house!" Max commented.

Nash let out an impressed whistle. "Now that's impressive."

Dani, however, shrugged. "Meh. Rich people. Probably make us drink cider or bob for apples."

"... wanna check it out?" Sora asked. Most of the group nodded in agreement before approaching it. They rung the doorbell before poking their heads in.

"Trick or treat!" Max and Dani called. The interior looked just as impressive as the exterior. It almost reminded Anne, Dylan, and Nash of the pictures of mansions they have seen in books before. To Sora, it reminded him of the Twilight Town manor. They could hear classical music playing as there were people dressed up as if they were at a masquerade ball, chatting with each other with smiles as they drank what was most likely cider.

Max then noticed a large bucket of candy lying on a table. "Jackpot!" he smiled as he and Dani approached it, reaching into it.

Sora's stomach growled as well as he decided to join in, grabbing a candy bar. Anne couldn't resist and joined in as well.

"Max Dennison."

They looked up to see a girl with blonde hair wearing a white dress standing at the top of the staircase. Max's eyes widened in surprise, quickly composing himself. "Allison!"

"Ohhh, Allison?" Dani smirked at her older brother.

"I thought you weren't into Halloween?" Allison asked, walking down the stairs as she approached the group.

Max smiled. "Oh, I'm not. I'm just taking my little sister Dani trick-or-treating. I do it every year."

"My parents made him." Dani deadpanned, earning a nudge from Max, who tried to play it cool. Anne bit her lip to try and hold back a snicker, but she failed.

"Do you want some cider?" Allison offered.

"Sure/No." Max and Dani said in unison.

"Yes, please." Clair nodded.

The girl went to pour them each a cup. "Say, I don't think I've seen you around, before." she remarked as she looked at Sora and the gang. "Are you new here like Max?"

"Um... you could say that." Anne shrugged.

"We heard about the stories, so we decided to visit for this year." Clair quickly added.

"Well, I think you made the right choice. Salem's always pretty busy around Halloween." Allison smiled as she handed them a cup of cider one by one. "Oh, by the way, those are some pretty neat costumes."

"We've been getting that a lot, today." Kairi said as she took a sip of the drink.

"So, how's the party?" Max asked.

Allison just gave a shrug. "Boring. It's just a bunch of my parents' friends. They do this every year. They put me on candy duty this time." she explained as she set down her own cup. "By the way, Dani, I love your costume."

Dani smiled. "Thank you, I really like yours, too. Of course, I couldn't wear anything like that cause I don't have any... what do you call 'em, Max? 'Yabbos'?"

Max did a spit-take as Dylan choked on his drink. Nash coughed as Anne's eyes bugged out while Clair had a surprised look, each of them knowing just exactly what she was talking about. Dani, however, just kept talking. "Max really likes yours. In fact, he loves them."

Allison let out an amused giggle as she and Max exchanged an awkward look. Dylan pounded on his chest to regain his breath, coughing while also chuckling a bit nervously. "Awkward..." Nash muttered to himself as he took another sip of cider. Max had a wide eyed embarrassed expression as he tried to signal Dani to stop, but thankfully, Allison changed the subject as she offered the little girl some candy.

"I'm into witches." she told her.

"Really? Me too. We just learned about those sisters in school." Dani remarked as she took a bite of the chocolate.

"The Sanderson Sisters?" Allison guessed, then smiled. "I know all about them. My mom used to run the museum."

"There's a museum about them?" Kairi asked curiously.

"Yeah, but they shut it down because there's said to be a lot of spooky things that happen there." Allison told them. Sora pondered for a moment. Could the 'spooky things' be the Heartless? No, it couldn't be...

Max suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. "Well, why don't we go to this Sanderson house?" he asked, taking a few of them by surprise. Dani quickly shook her head, but Max paid no heed to his little sister. Dylan rose an eyebrow. Was Max trying to flirt with this girl?

Allison paused for a moment, then smiled. "Okay, just let me get changed." she told them as she glanced over her shoulder. "They'll never miss me."

As she headed towards the staircase, she turned back to the gang. "Do you wanna come along for the little tour?"

Sora and Dylan exchanged a look. "Uh... can we have a second?" Dylan requested. The teenage girl nodded before ascending the stairs. Once she was out of hearing range, the gang quickly got into a group huddle while Max took his sister off to the side to speak to her.

"What do you think, guys? Should we tag along?" Dylan whispered.

With a shrug, Anne replied, "Maybe. Couldn't hurt, could it?"

"This Sanderson house sounds like a type of place Maleficent would show up at. Maybe we can see if she's there." Sora told them.

"And what if she's not?" Nash inquired.

Clair thought for a moment. "Then I guess we still get a free tour of the place."

It was then Allison returned wearing a more casual white shirt with an unbuttoned tan sweater and a pair of jeans. "Are you guys ready to head out?"

Max stood back up straight. "Yeah! Yeah, we're ready."

"Let's go see this house, then." Sora nodded. Allison took the lead and had them follow her out the door. But just before they left, Anne quickly grabbed another piece of candy for the road.

* * *

The path to the house was rather quiet, as there were few that were walking on it.

They walked along the side of an old, cobblestone wall that appeared to be falling apart while vines and other foliage grew on it.

"Legend has it that the bones of a hundred children were buried within these walls." Allison told them.

Clair shuddered at the thought. She was definitely going to need to get that image out of her head. Her teammates looked just as disturbed by that as she was.

The group was then met by a wooden gate with a 'closed' sign hanging on it. Past the gate, they could see a dark, old house that appeared like no one had taken care of it for years.

"There it is..." Allison remarked, grasping one of the bars on the gate.

"Wow... definitely creepy." Anne muttered.

Max pushed the gate open, stepping in first. "Well? What are we waiting for?"

They went through the entranced and approached the front steps as Allison pushed open the front door. The teens and little girl were greeted by cobwebs and dust as soon as they stepped in, coughing a bit. Anne grimaced as some of the cobwebs got on her, so she quickly brushed them off her. Kairi ended up sneezing.

"I can't see a thing..." Dani told them as she held up a pumpkin basket that glowed in the dark.

"Ow, that's my foot!" Dylan winced.

Nash muttered a quick apology. "Sorry."

A thud was then heard after Sora walked into a pillar. "D'ah, my head!"

Allison felt around the wall. "There's a light switch over here, somewhere..."

Clair considered using a small fire spell to shed some light, but then noticed Max looking at a display case on a cashier desk that held some old items that were never sold. He blew away some dust, finding a lighter resting on a shelf. He flicked it open and to his relief, it still worked.

"Hey guys, I got us a light." He held it to the wall so Allison could see what she was doing. She then found the switch, turning it on. The lights then came on, revealing to the group several old things, such as a couple cauldrons, a chandelier with lightbulbs that looked like candles, a shelf stacked with various jars, a broom hanging on display, a dusty, class box that contained something in it, and a large candle atop a long, black candlestick. There was also a staircase that led upstairs, showing an old bed with a few other items.

"Now this is the definition of a witch's house." Anne commented as they began to look around. Dylan suddenly felt something crawl on his shoulder and when he looked, he let out a cry of surprise seeing it was a large spider. Quickly, he flicked it off him, stumbling back a bit.

Anne turned to him upon hearing him yell. "What's wrong?" she asked with surprise.

"A... a spider was on my shoulder..." he said once he calmed down, letting out a sigh of relief now that it was off him.

Clair then paused, suddenly feeling like someone, or something, was watching them. She looked over her shoulder at the window, but to her confusion, saw nothing there. A bit unnerved, she edged away from the dusty, old window.

Allison then walked over to the display case, brushing away some of the dust on it. "This here is the spellbook of Winifred Sanderson herself." she explained to the group as she read the text. "It was given to her by the devil himself. The book is bound in human skin and contains the recipes for her most powerful and evil spells."

"Wait, HUMAN skin?!" Nash asked as he did a double take, taking a look at the book himself, as did a few of the others. To their surprise, the book did indeed seem to have a leathery look to it, as it also had stitches going across its cover. Clair shivered. Something about this book felt rather dark... this was definitely a book she would _not_ want to read. She was thankful that none of the spellbooks that Merlin had given her looked like this.

Max's eyes then wandered over to something. "Hey, what's that?"

They looked in his direction and saw a rather strange looking candle with an odd design.

"It's the Black Flame Candle." Allison informed him, giving Dani a playful nudge. However, the little girl wasn't amused.

"Like from the story?" Anne asked, raising an eyebrow. Max smirked and approached the candle, reading a description that was placed next to it out loud.

"Made from the fat of a hangman..." he read.

"Well, there goes my appetite..." Anne commented sarcastically with a grimace.

"The legend says that on a full moon, it will raise the spirits of the dead when lit by a virgin on Halloween night." Max had a mischievous look as he pulled the lighter out. "Whaddya say we light this sucker and meet the old broads, huh?"

Dani shook her head in protest.

"No thanks, Max." Allison said in agreement.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a black cat leapt onto Max's back, making him cry out with surprise as it hissed and clawed at him. The team jumped as Max fell down, knocking the cat off him as it scurried off.

"Where'd that come from?!" Anne asked, watching as the cat ran out of sight.

"Stupid cat!" Max yelled at it, rubbing his neck as he felt a few scratches left by it.

Dani shuddered, clutching onto Allison. "Okay, Max, you had your fun. Let's go, guys..."

"She's right, Max. Let's go." Allison agreed as she and Dani began to head to the door.

"Max, I'm not getting a good feeling about this place. Come on..." Sora gestured to the door.

However, Max remained planted firmly in place. "Oh, come on, it's just a bunch of hocus pocus." he scoffed, flicking the lighter open.

"Don't light it, Max." Clair warned. If the legend here was true, then she knew that they definitely didn't want to take a risk like this.

"Seriously, knock it off." Anne agreed with a frown.

Dani sighed. "Max, I'm not kidding around this time."

Her older brother just shook his head, moving to light the candle.

"Max, NO!" Sora rushed to try to stop him, but it was too late, as Max lit the Black Flame Candle. As soon as he did, the fire turned black as an eerie wind began to blow around them. Max paled, realizing something was definitely wrong.

"... uh oh."

One by one, the lightbulbs exploded, causing them to yell with surprise. Dani's hat was knocked off by the wind as Anne's hood fell off. Sora and Max cautiously took a step forward, but suddenly, the floorboards beneath the teens started to shake as an eerie green glow came from underneath them. Everyone grabbed onto something to keep themselves steady as they cried out.

Finally, after a moment, the floor stopped shaking as everything calmed down. Max panted as he looked at them with wide eyes. "What just happened?!"

Dani put her hat back on her with a sigh. "A _virgin_ lit the candle."

"Way to go, show-off." Dylan said sarcastically as he pulled himself back up to his feet.

Suddenly, the candles on the chandeliers above them magically lit themselves, as well as several other candles in the room, right as a fire sparked to life underneath both cauldrons.

Anne paled, taking a step back. "Ohhh boy..."

A loud cackle then filled the air from outside. Sora's eyes widened. "Hide!" he warned everyone.

Anne frantically looked around for a spot to hide in, then noticed a broom closet nearby. Since Dylan was the closest to her, she quickly pushed him into it before he could react and slipped into the closet herself, closing the door while leaving it open just a crack.

Sora ran up the steps to hide upstairs as Nash scrambled to find a spot to hide before following the spiky haired teen, lying flat on the ground to keep himself from being seen. Kairi managed to hide behind a pillar near the stairs. Clair, Allison, and Dani ran to hide on opposite sides of the door just as it burst open. Max dove down behind the display case as three strange women stepped in through the doorway.

One was a women with red, curly hair that was done up. She wore a dark green dress with purple fabric and golden embroidery on it. Her nails were also rather long and she appeared to have buck teeth.

The second one was a bit more heavyset than her and had dark brown hair done up in a rather odd hairstyle. She wore a red vest over an orange shirt with a long, plaid skirt and appeared to have a lopsided mouth.

The last woman was one with platinum blonde hair that wore a red and purple dress with lacy sleeves, as well as similarly fabrics with a pair of black boots.

The redheaded woman smirked as she eyed the house before them. "We're home!"

They were Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson, and they were back from the dead, ready to cause mayhem.


	32. Wicked Witches

**Thanks again to DinoWriter23 for helping me put with a part of this.**

* * *

Winifred had a sinister smile on her face, wringing her hands while Mary and Sarah did a happy dance together, each of them happy to be alive again.

"Sweet revenge... you see, sisters?! My curse worked perfectly!" she cried out triumphantly. Dani quickly scrambled to hide behind the counter before either of the trio of witches could see her. Clair and Allison stayed hidden behind the door.

Anne tried to stay still in the closet, then realized that she and Dylan were rather close to each other at the moment. Their eyes widened, and with the little light that got through the door that was left cracked open, they could see that they were blushing slightly at the awkward situation. "Uh..."

They both then remembered they were still hiding, so they stayed as still and quiet as possible.

Sora dared to take a peek over the edge, seeing Winifred walk over to one of the cauldrons. Anne and Dylan had to press themselves against the back of the wall in the closet to keep from being seen through the narrow crack.

"That's because thou art perfect, Winnie!" Mary laughed as she followed her red-haired sister. However, Sarah paused, reaching up at a banister above her as she felt for something, then pulled down the severed tail of a rat.

"My lucky rat tail!" she smiled as she twirled it in her fingers, much to Allison and Clair's disgust. "Just where I left it!"

Winifred eyed the candle with the black flame, approaching it. "But who lit the Black Flame Candle?"

Kairi quickly moved over to another pillar to stay out of sight. Winifred then smiled at the spellbook within the display case and tapped it. "Wake up. Wake up, sleepyhead! Did you miss me?" she cooed. To Sora, Nash, and Clair's surprise, an _eye_ opened up on it, blinking up at the redheaded witch.

Mary seemed to be distracted by something, sniffing the air before tapping her sister on the shoulder. "Winnie, I smell children."

Winifred smirked deviously. "Sniff them out, Mary." she ordered as Sarah joined them. Mary began to sniff like a dog would when searching for something as her fellow sisters followed her.

"It's a little girl... seven... maybe eight and a half." Mary told them with a mischievous look on her face, and not the good kind. Everyone within the cottage paled, realizing that it fit Dani's description. Allison gestured for Clair to follow her as she snuck to a pillar near the door. Clair quickly ducked underneath a table while the Sanderson sisters' backs were towards them.

"Let's play with her!" Sarah grinned, then began to sing. _"Come little children, I'll take thee away..."_

For a moment, Nash felt a bit dizzy at the sound of her singing, but shook his head to snap out of it. What was that...?

Mary quietly gestured to the counter as Winifred covered Sarah's mouth. "Come out, little one... we will not harm thee." she said with an eager grin that easily gave away their true intentions.

"We LOVE children!" Mary slapped her hand on the desk, making Dani reveal herself. Sora's eyes widened from the second floor of the cottage and frantically gestured for Dani to try and get away. Anne had to restrain herself from jumping out of the closet.

However, Dani kept her composure, speaking with a calm tone, "I thought thou would never come, sisters."

Winifred grinned, giving a false, friendly smile that was oozing with malice. "Greetings, little one."

"Twas I that brought you back." Dani told them, speaking in the same way that they were in to try and fool them.

"Imagine... such a pretty little..." Sarah and Winifred exchanged a look, barely containing their laughter. "... child."

Mary approached her, eyeing the girl up and down. "She's so well fed, isn't she?" she giggled, reaching to grab her. Dani let out a scream as she backed away from them, but they surrounded her. Clair wanted to help Dani, but knew that they didn't know what these witches could do.

"Tell me, what is the year?" Winifred inquired as she took Dani by the arm, leading her towards a chair.

"1993..." Dani answered as they had her sit in it. That surprised the team. Did time flow differently in certain worlds? Well, that explained why Jay and Ice were dressed the way they were.

"Sisters! We have been gone for 300 years!" Winifred realized.

"How time flies... when you're dead!" Mary remarked, prompting her sisters to burst into laughter. Dani joined in to try and keep up the act, but immediately stopped when she saw how Mary was looking at her, as if she were eyeing a type of dessert. She let out a nervous giggle.

"Well, it's been fun, sisters, but I should really go, so..." she said quickly as she tried to get up, but Winifred forced her back down.

"Oh, but stay! We haven't had supper yet!" she smirked.

Dani gulped, but forced a smile. "I-I'm not really hungry."

"But WE are!" Mary exclaimed. Dani then tried to run away, but Mary and Sarah grabbed her arms, lifting her up and carrying her towards the large cauldron while she kicked and screamed. Max couldn't take it anymore seeing that Dani was in danger and stood up, revealing himself.

"Hey! Let go of my little sister..." he growled as he glared at the three witches before him.

"Max, what are you doing?!" Dylan whispered from within the closet. Winifred smirked at Max as Mary and Sarah stood behind her.

"Winnie, roast him!"

"No, no, let me play with him?" Sarah begged as she looked Max up and down. Magic sparked at the tips of Winifred's fingers before she shocked the teenage boy with a bolt, forcing him onto the floor. Kairi cringed at the sight. Max let out a groan of pain as the red-haired Sanderson pranced over to him, then forced him to slam into the wall with her magic.

"Max! Don't hurt him!" Dani yelled as she tried to rush over to help, but Mary held her in place.

Winifred used her magic to force Max to turn around. "Hello. And goodbye!" she cackled before zapping him again, lifting him up into the air as he screamed in pain, struggling to break free.

That was the last straw for the gang as they leapt into action. Allison grabbed a broom that was on display. "Hey, Mary!"

The brown haired witch turned around with confusion upon seeing her. "Oh, hello-" she began, but was cut off when Allison smacked her with the broom, forcing her to let go of Dani. Clair joined in as she climbed out from underneath the table and shot a Plasma Bolt at the witch, knocking her back into the counter.

Allison and Dani's eyes widened in shock at what she had done. "What was that?!"

"No time to explain!"

Anne burst out of the closet, ramming her shoulder into Sarah Sanderson, knocking her to the ground. "Owie!" the blonde sister exclaimed as she hit the floor as Dylan ran past the blonde and over to the others.

Now that she was free, Dani rushed at Winifred, smacking her in the face with her candy bag. "You leave my brother alone!" she yelled. This took the witch by surprise as she fell back, losing her concentration as Max fell to the ground with a thud. Sora then leapt down from the second floor, summoning his Keyblade as he stood in front of the two protectively.

"You'd better back off!" the spiky haired teen warned.

"What is this? Thou carry a giant key?!"

"Yeah, one that will send you right back to where you belong!" Sora retorted.

"Why you wretched little-"

Just then, the black cat from earlier suddenly jumped onto Winifred, clawing and biting at her as it hissed. She let out a cry of surprise as she struggled to get the cat off her. Sora, Dani, Kairi, and Anne quickly helped up Max, who was still recovering from being shocked. They ran to the door as they rejoined the others, but then Max paused, looking back at the ceiling.

"Get Dani out of here. I got an idea!" he told them.

"What are you doing?!" Dylan asked.

"Just go! I'll catch up!" He then climbed up some items to reach the top floor. The others reluctantly did what he told them and ran out of the house, but Sora and Nash stayed near the doorway in case Max needed help.

By this time, Winifred had thrown the cat off of her. "Hey!" Max yelled, gaining the sisters' attention. "You messed with the great and powerful Max, and now you're gonna suffer the consequences." he frowned, flicking open the lighter. "I summon the burning rain of death."

The sisters murmured to each other with confusion at this, but gasped when Max turned on the lighter. "He makes fire in his hand!"

Max held the lighter close to a sprinkler, triggering it and causing water to spray everywhere. The witches panicked and screamed as they felt the water hit them, believing it was actually burning them before they scrambled for cover.

Sora poked his head back in, not paying attention to any of the water from the sprinkler system. "Max, come on!" he ushered. Max nodded and leapt down, but slipped on the now wet floor before he could run. Sora and Nash moved to help him up, but then the black cat from before jumped onto Max's chest. Then, to their surprise, the cat _spoke_.

"Nice going, _Max_!" the cat deadpanned in a male voice as he narrowed his eyes, much to Nash and Max's shock while Sora did a double take. Nash couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was a _talking cat_ right in front of him!

Max's eyes bugged out of his skull. "... you can talk..."

"Yeah, no kidding!" the cat retorted without missing a beat. "Now, get the spellbook!"

When Max just kept staring at him, the cat let out a hiss, slapping him with his paw to snap him out of it. "Come on, move it!" he ordered, jumping off of the teenage boy.

Nash searched around for anything to smash the display case with, but Sora beat him to it and slammed his Keyblade into the glass, shattering it. Max scrambled up to his feet and reached in, snatching the book up before he, Nash, and Sora ran out the door with the black cat on their heels.

"First, witches come back from the dead, Clair made some kinda ball of energy, you have a giant key-sword thing, and now there's a talking cat?! What next?!" Max exclaimed, trying to wrap his head around the events that had just happened.

"Guys! Over here! Come on!" Anne called as the rest of the group were waiting by the gate, frantically ushering for them to get a move on. The three boys and the cat quickly joined them before they ran away from the Sanderson house together with the spellbook in hand.

* * *

Back inside, the Sanderson sisters were still crying out as the water hit them. It was then Winifred realized something. The 'burning rain' wasn't hurting them at all. She decided to taste it, and to her surprise, it was simply just water.

When Mary and Sarah were still crying out, she frowned. "Shut up!" she snapped, silencing them. "It is but water!"

"Water?" Mary wondered before tasting it herself, drinking it. "Most refreshing!"

Sarah started to drink it as well, but Winifred just scowled with annoyance. "The boy has tricked us! He's stolen the book! After him!" she demanded before storming over to the front door. However, she had to grab Sarah since she was still distracted.

They ran out the front door together, lifting their skirts to keep from tripping as they rushed down the front steps. The witches failed to notice the couple of display signs that were placed in front of their house, but they came to a halt as they came across something dark gray in front of them.

"'Tis a black river!" Mary gulped, taking a step back.

"Perhaps it is not too deep?" Sarah wondered as she gazed at it. Winifred and Mary both exchanged a look before they shoved Sarah forward to make her test it out. Sarah screamed in surprise as she landed on it, bracing herself, but instead of sinking, she found herself on solid ground.

She jumped on it before smiling and jumped again. "'Tis firm!"

Winifred tapped her foot on it before exclaiming with shock, "Why, it's a road!"

Things had certainly changed during the time they were dead.

"Sisters! My book!" she exclaimed, having her two witch sisters join her side. They lifted their skirts up and started to walk down the road in unison.

It was then a burst of green flames appeared in front of them, making them scream and jump back. As the flames died down, they saw a woman with pale green skin wearing black and purple robes standing before them.

Maleficent narrowed her eyes as she observed the three. "Well, well... so you are the Sanderson sisters I have heard about."

"Who is she, Winnie?" Sarah asked curiously as she stood behind her older sister.

Winifred observed the woman in front of them. "And you are?" she frowned.

"I am Maleficent." the horned witch introduced herself, stroking the orb on her scepter. "The mistress of all evil."

She was only met with looks of confusion from the three sisters. "Maleficent?" Mary wondered out loud.

"We've never heard of you." Winifred said indignantly.

There was a certain coldness behind Maleficent's eyes. "If you want to survive beyond this night, you will listen to what I have to say."

Mary and Sarah flinched while Winifred merely scoffed "And what would that be."

"I am in search of a black box. If you cooperate, I shall help you in cheating the magic of the Black Flame Candle."

The three witches' eyes lit up at that. Winifred smirked. "Oh? How so, o green one?"

"Do you know where I could find this box? Or a certain book?" Maleficent questioned.

"A book?" Winnie asked.

"Like the one those brats just stole?" Sarah asked before her elder sister hit her in the stomach. Sarah groaned, hunching over.

"No... a book different from it. Have you ever heard of something called The Book of Prophecies...?" Maleficent questioned.

"'Book of Prophecies'? Nay, we have not." Winifred shook her head.

The horned witch frowned at that. "Pity."

"Now, what is it thou have said of helping us?" Winifred smirked.

Maleficent narrowed her eyes. "These 'brats' that have stolen from you... did one of them have a sword shaped like a key?"

"Yes, yes they did!" Sarah piped up, having recovered from the blow she received to the stomach by Winifred.

"Eliminate them, as well as anyone else with them for me, and I shall help you." Maleficent said as a wisp of darkness appeared around her, waving her hand as a few Heartless appeared before the three.

"What sort of demons are these?" Mary asked.

"Behold, the Heartless. Creatures born of the darkness in people's hearts. They shall help you get you what you desire." Maleficent explained with a sinister look on her face.

"Oh, that's generous of you. Lending us these things to get our desires." Mary said.

Sarah, who had been distracted, turned back to them. "What do we desire?"

"The spellbook!" Winifred snapped at her, exasperated by her antics. "And children!"

The evil sorceress's lips curled up into a smirk. "Oh, they will find the children. And your book, as well."

Winifred smiled wickedly, thinking of dastardly ideas of what to do once they got the book back.

* * *

Chase whistled to himself as he and the other half of the group searched around the part of town they had gone to.

"... this is getting us nowhere..." Aurora sighed after a moment.

"I think it is." Chase said as he munched on some candy.

Jason rolled his eyes. "You keep stopping for candy."

"What? We haven't had a meal for a while." Chase pointed out, offering him some candy corn. "Besides, it's Halloween! I'm not gonna miss this opportunity to get some candy while we're at it."

With reluctance Jason popped some of the treats into his mouth.

They then heard the sounds of rapid footsteps. Aurora assumed that it was just more trick-or-treaters, but then they saw the rest of the group, as well as Max, Dani, a girl they did not see before, and a black cat run around the corner right into them.

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on?!" Chase asked with surprise, helping Clair up since she ran into him.

Clair panted as she tried to regain her footing. "Max brought the Sanderson sisters back from the dead!"

"Wait, what?" Jason asked his cousin with confusion.

"Candle. Explosions. Witches. Back from dead." Anne tried to explain, but was too shocked to speak coherently as she put her hood back up.

"And who's this?" Aurora asked when she saw Allison.

"This is Allison, but we gotta get moving, go!" Sora ushered them. Though confused, the rest of the team joined them, running as the black cat took the lead until they eventually stopped in front of an old iron gate that led into a graveyard.

"Whoa, we're not going through there, are we?" Max asked.

"It's hallowed ground. Witches can't step foot here." the black cat spoke, much to everyone's surprise, except for Sora, Max, and Nash. Jason didn't even know what to think while Clair's eyes widened.

"... t-talking cat..." Chase stammered.

"That surprises you?" Aurora asked him.

"It's a _talking cat_!" Chase retorted, gesturing to it.

The black cat slipped through the gate. "Follow me, everybody. I need to show you something. Let you know what we're dealing with here."

They exchanged a look before they opened the gate, following the cat into the graveyard while Kairi shut the gate behind them, taking a cautious look outside to make sure they were not being followed. Once inside, Clair could feel a certain something about this place. It was... peaceful, despite the creepy atmosphere. It wasn't a place where dark magic could enter. The people who made this cemetery must've placed some sort of protective barrier over this place.

As they trekked through the cemetery, they saw that some of the graves looked rather old. The cat leapt atop of an old tombstone. "Here we are."

"'William Butcherson'?" Max read the name on the grave.

"Billy Butcherson was Winifred's lover, but she caught him sporting with her sister, Sarah. So she poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut with a dull needle, so he couldn't tell his secrets even in death." the black cat explained.

Anne shuddered. That was an image she wouldn't get out of her head anytime soon.

Jason rose an eyebrow at the cat. "You seem to know a lot about what we're dealing with."

The cat nodded. "Winifred always was the jealous type."

"You're him, aren't you? You're Thackery Binx." Allison realized.

"Yes, that's me." the cat confirmed.

"Wait. The guy who stood up to the witches three-hundred years ago, if I remember that story right?" Jason asked.

"And was turned into a cat afterwards?" Clair added, staring in shock.

"The very same." Binx nodded, leaping off of the tombstone. The group was flabbergasted at what they were witnessing.

Kairi looked at Sora, but he was just as surprised, too stunned to speak, so she decided to introduce themselves. "My name is Kairi. This is Sora, Donald, Goofy, Anne, Chase, Dylan, Clair, Jason, Nash, and Aurora..." she said, gesturing to each of them.

"Nice to meet you all. Now, follow me, I need to show you something else." Binx told them as he began to walk towards another grave. It had the name 'Emily Binx' carved into it. Anne realized this was his sister's grave.

"Oh man..." Nash muttered.

Binx was very solemn as he looked at the group before them. "This is where my sister was laid to rest. Because of me, my little sister's life was stolen. For years, I've waited for my life to end so I could be reunited with my family." Binx shut his eyes sadly as Clair gave him a look of sympathy. He then looked back at the group. "But Winifred's curse of immortality kept me alive. Then one day, I figured out just what to do with my eternal life. I failed Emily, but I wouldn't fail again. When Winifred and her sisters returned, I'd be there to stop them. So for three centuries, I've guarded the house on All Hallow's Night, when I knew some airhead virgin might light the candle." he said as he shot Max a look.

"Nice going, airhead." Dani deadpanned.

"You try to impress a girl, but instead you bring back three crazy witches. Good job." Nash remarked sarcastically, shaking his head.

"Look, I'm sorry." Max sighed as he got up. "Look, it's three old hags against the twentieth century. How bad can it be?"

The cat looked at him. "Bad."

"Do people have ways to fight witches here? Anything to counter their magic?" Clair asked.

Dani shook her head. "No. Witches are make-believe, well, until now."

"Well, we could always try throwing a bucket of water on them." Chase joked.

Jason looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "A bucket of water?"

"It worked in the Wizard of Oz."

Donald shook his head. "I don't think that's going to work."

"Trust me, it won't." Binx said with a shake of his head.

"Well, it was worth a try." Chase muttered, giving the cat a scratch behind the ear. Binx was a bit surprised, but silently accepted it.

Allison started to open the book, but Clair slammed it shut. "Keep that thing shut."

"But it could help." the blonde haired girl suggested.

Clair shook her head. "I may be new to this, but I know that evil won't help us destroy evil. That's just counter-intuitive."

Dani then looked at Clair. "What was that thing you did back there? When you made that weird ball of light hit Mary?"

"That was a Plasma Bolt."

"A what?"

Clair paled, looking at the group, then back at their new friends before she sighed. "... magic."

"She's a mage." Goofy explained.

"In training."

Dani gasped at that, looking at Clair with shock. "You're a witch?"

"She's a mage, not a witch." Donald corrected. "There's a difference."

"Plus, if she were a witch, she wouldn't be able to set foot here. Remember?" Jason reminded them.

"That IS true." Binx nodded in agreement.

Max then looked over at Sora. "Then what was that big key you were carrying around?"

"It's a Keyblade." Sora answered. "It's a weapon that can fight back against the darkness."

"Perfect for fighting the witches, then." Binx said. "Maybe you can help keep the witches from getting the spellbook. It holds Winifred's most dangerous spells within it."

Max then took the book and set it on the ground. "If this thing's so bad, then lets torch it." he said as he turned on the lighter, then held it to the book. However, the flames didn't even touch it.

"Here, let me try." Anne offered as she summoned her Keyblade, pointing it at the book. "Fire!"

The spell flew towards the book, only to simmer out before it reached it. "What the?"

Summoning his Keyblade, Jason tried to stab the book, but something kept the blade back. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say this thing's protected by magic."

"Exactly." Binx sighed.

It was then the sound of cackling filled the air. "For once, I wish that was a hyena I heard." Chase gulped as he looked up.

Hovering above the graveyard were the Sanderson sisters on their broomsticks. Each of them were wearing a cloak that matched the colors of their clothes.

"It's just a bunch of hocus pocus!" Winifred mocked, then laughed again. Max grabbed Dani, pulling her close to him.

"Is that them?!" Goofy gasped.

"That's them." Anne confirmed as they backed away.

Sarah flew down to them, eyeing Max. "Afraid little virgin who lit the candle... I'll be thy friend..." she flirted.

Allison grabbed a tree branch, smacking her. "Take a hike!" she exclaimed, forcing the blonde witch to back off.

"Oh, _book~_ " Winifred called as the spellbook began to float off the ground. The group saw this and rushed to it, with Binx arriving first as he leapt atop the book, forcing it back down.

"Afraid not!"

Winifred sneered. "Thackery Binx! Thou mangy feline! Still alive?"

"And waiting for you!" Binx spat, waving a paw at them as he glared at the witch.

"Thou hast waited in vain! And thou will fail to saved thy friends, just as thou failed to save thy sister!" Winifred taunted. Binx snarled at her angrily.

"Okay, that's it!" Sora summoned his Keyblade and shot an Aero spell, causing the eldest of the sisters to spin wildly on her flying broom.

While the witch was spinning, Binx exclaimed, "Grab the book!"

Max snatched up the book as they took off running. Mary flew down, attempting to swipe at them, but missed as Kairi dove down.

"They can't touch us here, right?!" Max asked.

"Well... _they_ can't." Binx stated _._

That made Dani pale. "Why'd you say it like that?"

Once she had recovered from twirling around, Winifred waved her hand. "Come forth, creatures of darkness! Fetch me my book!" she exclaimed as a few Heartless materialized on the ground. Dani screamed when they appeared. Max and Allison's eyes widened and grabbed onto Dani, quickly pulling her away.

"What are those things?!" Allison asked.

Binx jumped in front of the three, hissing at the Heartless. "Get back!"

One of the Heartless leapt at them. Max instinctively wrapped his arms around Dani, shielding her as they braced themselves. However, the blow never came. Max hesitantly looked up to see that Kairi had slashed through the Heartless with her Keyblade.

"Stay back, guys!" Kairi warned them as the rest of the team got their own weapons ready.

"We'll handle this!" Chase declared.

"Nash, you go with Max, Dani, and Allison!" Dylan ordered.

Nash didn't protest as he quickly ran back to the three. "This way, hide!" Nash exclaimed as he led them over to a small stone wall to take cover behind.

Anne then charged at a Shadow, slicing through it as it leapt at her. Sora ran past her to attack a Search Ghost, which prepared to attack. The spiky haired boy beat it to the punch and delivered a combo of slashes.

It was finished off by Goofy slamming his shield into it. Chase sped towards a Shadow in a blur, kicking it towards Clair before it could even sink back into the ground. Clair zapped it woth a thunder spell before attacking a Wight Knight with her Keyblade.

Aurora stabbed a Search Ghost, taking a step back as it swiped at her before she retaliated with a swing, hitting it in the side with her own key-shaped weapon.

"Donald!" Sora called.

The talking duck nodded, pointing his staff at a Wight Knight. "Fire!"

The Heartless caught aflame and ran around, trying to put it out. Kairi brought her Keyblade down on the Heartless, killing it.

Dylan then stabbed a Shadow, destroying it. A Search Ghost was about to attack him from behind, but Anne quickly slashed at its back, catching it off guard. Dylan whirled around and saw the Heartless, so he quickly got his sword ready as it crackled with electricity. He then slammed it into the Search Ghost, making it twitch erratically before Anne destroyed it.

Jason jumped back from a Wight Knight as it extended its arms, then slammed his Keyblade down on its arms. The Heartless recoiled, leaving it vulnerable to attack, so Jason rushed forward and stabbed it, then destroyed the Heartless with a slash of his Keyblade.

Max's jaw dropped as they witnessed the battle before them. It was... amazing! "What about you? What can you do?" he asked Nash.

"Um... nothing." Nash admitted sheepishly.

"Nothing?!"

A Shadow then slithered towards them, popping up out of the ground. "Watch out!" Allison warned them as she saw it. Nash's eyes widened seeing the Heartless, so he grabbed the closest thing to him, which was a stick. As the Shadow leapt at them, he smacked it to the ground before it could even attack.

Nash let out a cheer. "How do ya like that?!"

However, it slowly got back up to its feet. Dani gasped as Nash paled. "Uh oh."

Thinking quickly, he kicked it away before it could recover. Sora destroyed it as soon as it came towards him, giving Nash a nod before leaping back into the fray.

It was then Clair noticed another Heartless materialize, one that she hadn't seen before. It looked to be a taller and more humanoid version of a Shadow with longer antennae.

"Neoshadow!" Goofy gasped.

"Wait, what?!" Anne asked as it sank into the ground like a normal Shadow would before slithering over to Anne, rising up. The brown haired teen's eyes widened before she quickly threw her Keyblade out, blocking just as it tried to attack with its claws. Surprisingly, it was stronger than a Shadow, but Anne dug her feet into the ground as she began to push the Neoshadow back. Once the Heartless was caught off guard, she slashed at it, then hit it again before it could attack.

Aurora ran at it from behind while it tried to attack again, delivering a slash to its back. She then finished it off with a Blizzard spell.

Binx even joined in and leapt off of a tombstone, pouncing on a Wight Knight's head, catching off guard before jumping off. "Good kitty!" Chase praised.

While the Heartless was distracted, Clair attacked with her Keyblade. She sliced at it, then quickly jumped back to avoid a swipe from it before shooting a fireball at the Wight Knight, weakening it. She then finished it off with a swing of her Keyblade.

A Neoshadow stalked over to where Max, Dani, Allison, and Nash were, looking very menacing as it eyed them with its beady, yellow eyes. Max held the book in one arm as he grabbed a nearby stick and chucked it at the Heartless, but that barely fazed it. Before the Neoshadow could attack, Jason slammed his Keyblade into its side, knocking it away.

"We gotta get outta here!" Sora exclaimed, shocking a Shadow with Thunder as he and the rest of the team ran to where their new friends were. Clair blasted a Shadow back with a Plasma Bolt as it tried to reach them.

Winifred scowled seeing this was going nowhere, but when her eyes fell on a certain grave, she smiled wickedly, beginning an incantation.

 _"Unfaithful lover, long since dead, deep asleep in thy wormy bed. Wiggle thy toes, open thine eyes, twist thy fingers towards the sky!"_

"What's she doing?!" Nash asked as they all gathered together, with Goofy having his shield ready to block anything.

 _"Life is sweet, be not shy. On thy feet, so sayeth I!"_ Winifred exclaimed. The ground started to rumble and shake as a coffin slowly rose out of the ground, causing some dirt to fly up. Dani nearly fell, but Allison grabbed her, supporting her as they scrambled away from it with a few of them tripping as they cautiously looked at the old casket. Binx leapt onto Max's shoulder to get a better view.

Suddenly, the coffin burst open as the wood splintered. To their shock, a man with pale, sunken in skin, ratty black hair and tattered clothing that were clearly from long ago, sat up, shoving some of the dirt off him. He smelled rather awful and his mouth was sewn shut. It was Billy Butcherson, back from the dead. He shook some cobwebs, dust, and dirt off with a grunt before looking over at the teens, who were horrified at what they were witnessing.

They looked at each other, then looked back at Billy before they all let out a scream, even Binx. The group scrambled away, leaving Billy sitting there with confusion. What got them so worked up?

He then realized he was sitting in a coffin, so he turned around. Upon seeing his tombstone, he groaned, slumping his shoulders.

"It's the living dead!" Chase cried out as they ran.

Sarah smiled wildly and waved to the zombie, but nearly fell off her broom. "Hello, Billy!" she greeted happily.

Billy's eyes lit up upon seeing her and he smiled behind the stitches on his mouth. However, the moment was interrupted by an impatient Winifred. "Catch those children! Go! Get up!"

Billy scowled at the buck-toothed witch, looking incredibly annoyed, but began to climb out of his grave.

As he did, Binx led the group through the graveyard. "This way, hurry!" he called to them. A few Heartless attempted to attack them, but Donald cast Thundara on one, destroying it while Goofy slammed his shield into another. The talking black cat weaved past one as it tried to attack him, allowing Sora to destroy the Shadow.

Binx then dove into a hole in a wall nearby. "Quick! Down here!"

The team made sure Dani went first before Allison climbed in after her, letting out a yelp of surprise as they heard sliding. One by one, each of the group jumped into the hole while Anne and Max paused, looking behind them as they saw Billy stumbling his way towards them. Their eyes widened before Anne readied her Keyblade, holding an arm out in front of Max. "I'll catch up. Go!"

Max hesitated for a moment, but upon hearing the others calling him, he quickly threw the spellbook into the hole before he climbed down as well. Billy's eyes widened as Anne swung her Keyblade at him, knocking his head off his body as it rolled several feet away from them.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed with triumph, only for her smile to fall when she saw that the body was still standing. She quickly turned around and dove into the hole, sliding down a small slope before landing back on solid ground. She coughed, waving some old roots that were hanging from the ceiling above out of her face. Clair tried to find something to block the entrance in case Billy would try to follow them through it.

"Is everyone okay?" Kairi asked, coughing from how dusty it was.

"Yeah, I think so..." Donald said just as Goofy sneezed.

Chase squinted as he tried to look around, feeling the wall since it was so dark. Max flicked open the lighter he had, illuminating the tunnel they were in. "What is this place?"

Binx perched himself in a hole in the wall. "This is the old Salem crypt. It connects to the sewer and up to the street." he informed them.

Jason shoved some roots out of his face. "How long will it take us to get there?"

"Not long."

Max held up the lighter and grimaced when he saw a rotting skeleton partially hanging out of a casket that was poking out of the wall. "Dani, don't look up..." he warned. Clair looked away at the sight, shuddering.

"Don't worry, I won't..." Dani said, keeping her gaze straight ahead of them.

"Relax..." Binx said casually. "You have nothing to worry about. I've hunted mice down here for years."

That earned looks of disgust from the team as Binx leapt down, passing a skull as he began to lead them through the tunnel.

"There's not any... snakes down here, are there?" Clair asked nervously after a moment.

"No, nothing like that. Don't worry." Binx assured her before he resumed his trot. Clair let out a sigh of relief, taking a quick look behind them to make sure that nothing was behind them before they followed the cat down the path.

* * *

"Curses!" Winnie spat as they watched Billy's body blindly stumble around as he searched for his head. It even bumped into a Search Ghost, making it float away a bit.

"What do we do, Winnie?" Mary wondered as they floated on their brooms.

"You!" Winifred pointed at Billy just as he managed to find his head, placing it back on. "Follow those children and get my book back! Then, come find us! We'll be ready for them!"

Billy frowned, narrowing his eyes with annoyance as he reluctantly went towards the hole that the gang had went down into. However, he was met by some old bricks placed in it. He had to crouch down and start to shove them out of the way.

The remaining Heartless that weren't slain vanished into wisps of darkness. "Come, sisters!" Winifred ordered before they flew away from the graveyard, landing just outside the gate. "They're here! I know they are! Mary, sniff them out!"

Mary began to use her heightened sense of smell to try and find them, but failed to. "I can't, they've gone too far!"

Sarah attempted to climb up the gate, but found herself unable to, so she was left dangling there while Winifred grabbed Mary by the ear. "You fool! We have to get my book back! When Billy Butcherson gets here, we'll start collecting children!"

"Why?"

Winifred felt like hitting herself. "Because, you great buffoon, we want to live forever, not just until tomorrow! The more children's lives we snatch, the longer we shall live! And this Maleficent said she would help us bypass the magic of the candle if we eliminated those brats!"

When she noticed Sarah still trying to climb the gate, she snapped, "Sarah!"

The youngest of the three sisters climbed down, rejoining them as she grabbed her broomstick. Winifred nodded with satisfaction. "Come now, we fly!"

However, Mary stopped the two. "Wait, sisters!" She took their brooms, setting them against the fence. "I have an idea. Since this proves to be a most dire and stressful evening, I suggest we hold a calming circle."

"I AM CALM!"

"Thou art not being honest with thyself, Winnie!" Mary said with a smile. "We can take a moment, clear our heads... come on..."

After some coaxing from Sarah and Mary, Winifred eventually agreed. The trio held each other's hands as they began to think soothing thoughts, or at least what they _thought_ of as soothing. "Rabid bats... black death... mother's scorpion pie..."

The three sighed with blissful smiles at the thought. "Mother..."

A familiar burst of green flames appeared near them as Maleficent appeared, making them jump slightly. She had a frown on her face. "I see you failed to eliminate the Keyblade bearers."

"Oh, but we shall, just as we shall get the spellbook back." Winifred promised. "Thy creatures of darkness shall be of great use to us."

"But they didn't really do a good job back in the graveyard-" Sarah piped up, only to be hit in the stomach again by Winnie.

Maleficent narrowed her eyes. "Perhaps you should try looking in the town. They are sure to be there with your book."

"Excellent! Come, sisters!"

The evil sorceress shook her head, vanishing into green flames once more, but not before saying, "Do not fail next time."

The Sandersons were about to head out on the road, but the strange, screeching sound of something stopped them as a large object came to a halt in front of the three. A set of doors opened up, showing a man sitting behind the wheel as he smirked at the three witches. "Bubble bubble, I'm in trouble!" he remarked, tipping his hat to them.

"Tell me, friend, what is this strange contraption?" Winifred questioned.

"I call this a bus..."

"And what is its service?" Winnie asked while Mary and Sarah were confused by the name of the strange vehicle in front of them.

"To transport gorgeous creatures like you to your most forbidden desires." the man flirted, resting his head on his hand.

Winifred smirked. Perhaps this man and his 'bus' could take them to what they were looking for. "We desire... children."

"Well, it might take me a few tries, but I think I'm game." he flirted, thinking they were talking about something completely different. "Hop on, ladies!"

The eldest of the Sandersons smiled happily at that before walking back to pick up their broomsticks. Sarah just kept staring at the bus driver with a dreamy look in her eyes. When they started to board the bus, Winifred had to tug on her arm to snap her out of it. "Thank you, kind sir..." she smirked before taking a seat.

* * *

Back below the ground, the group was still following Binx through the tunnels, which seemed to be endless. Jason noticed that the walls looked much smoother now, so they must have made it to the sewers.

"We're nearly there, everyone." Binx informed them as he paused at a crossroads, then turned right. "This way!"

Dylan smacked some cobwebs out of the way as they kept up with the black cat. He was thankful there weren't any spiders in the sewers as they arrived.

Up ahead, they could see a ladder. "There it is." Binx said as he trotted over to Max, climbing up onto his shoulder.

"Wait here." he told the group before he began to climb the ladder. When he reached the top, he pushed the manhole cover off, allowing Binx to climb out onto the road. However, his eyes widened when he saw a bus coming their way. "Binx, look out!" he warned, quickly ducking back down. Binx looked up in alarm as he saw the bus.

The group then heard a thud. Dani gasped. "Binx?!"

"What happened?!" Sora asked, hurriedly climbing up the ladder first. As he climbed out, the rest followed shortly after and were met by a horrible sight.

"Oh no..." Max muttered sadly as Anne gasped, covering her mouth. Binx was lying on the road... having been run over.

"No!" Sora gasped, shaking his head. Kairi was horrified seeing what had happened to their new friend.

Allison embraced Dani, who started to cry. Anne looked quite distressed seeing Binx having been flattened, which Dylan noticed, so he quickly wrapped his arms around her.

Jason clenched his fist as he whirled around towards the direction the bus was heading, glaring angrily for whoever was driving it. "Hey! HEY!" he snapped, but the bus was gone. YOU STUPID MORON! Get back here!"

Aurora looked away from Binx's flattened body, shutting her eyes. A tear welled up in Clair's eye as she took a step back. "Why...?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick..." Chase muttered as he looked away from the sight, holding his stomach.

Max shook his head, turning away as well. "I shouldn't have let him go out... it's my fault." he said, feeling extremely regretful.

"Max, you couldn't have known." Allison told him gently.

However, Dani gasped, tugging on their sleeves. "Look!"

"What? What is it?" Goofy asked. The little girl pointed at Binx, who was inflating like a balloon, much to their surprise. A moment later, the cat pushed himself back up, shaking his head to shake it off. It was as if he was never ran over in the first place!

"I hate it when that happens!" he groaned.

"Binx?!" Donald squawked.

Nash gawked at him. "H-How'd you-?"

"What?" Binx questioned when he saw their flabbergasted expressions, flicking his tail. "I told you, I can't die." He then glanced at Dani. "Dani, are you alright?"

Dani smiled with relief, giving a nod. "Okay, then. Let's go!" Binx announced, jumping back up to his feet. It took a moment for the group to process what just happened before quickly following him.

However, Anne was still a bit shaken from seeing him run over. When she saw that, an image of Boomer in Binx's place flashed in her mind, making her fear the worst. What if her dog was...?

Binx looked back, noticing her worried face. "Is something wrong?"

Anne snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh... just thinking about my dog..." she answered. "I... haven't seen him for a while. What if he's been-"

"I'm sure your dog is fine, wherever he is." Binx told her, trying to ease her worries. "What's his name? Perhaps I've seen him around."

"His name is Boomer. He's a little dachshund with black and brown fur." Anne explained.

The immortal cat pondered for a moment. "I did see a dog of that breed around Salem before, but he had a different name and different fur." he told her. Anne hung her head at that. "Hey, you'll find him soon."

The brown haired girl thought about his words, then cracked a smile. "Thanks, Binx."

Dylan gave Binx an appreciative smile for helping Anne ease her worries. Clair then picked up Binx, holding him in her arms as he had a look of surprise. "This way you won't give us another scare like before."

"... fair enough."


	33. I Put a Spell On You

**Special thanks to DinoWriter23 for helping out.**

* * *

"Alright, so now we got three crazy witches after us that can summon weird, creepy monsters..." Max said as they walked down the street together.

"Heartless." Donald clarified for him.

"Right. We gotta warn the cops." Max told them.

That made Sora raise an eyebrow. "Um, Max? I don't think the police will be able to handle something like this."

"Well, we have to try!" Max retorted.

Sora sighed, giving a shrug in reply. "Yeah, I guess so... but we can handle the Heartless. Leave that to us."

After they had escaped from the witches, things were rather quiet for them as they strolled down the road together. They had to look over their shoulders every now and then to make sure they weren't being followed.

Dani was making small talk with Clair. "So if you're a mage, do you know a lot of spells?"

Clair shook her head. "No, not a whole lot," she replied. "I know the basics and a few others, but I'm still in-training."

"So remind me again why the witches want this freaky book?" Chase then asked.

"They wish to use it to brew a potion to let them suck the life out of children, and they have until sunrise to do so, which is why we can't let them get their hands on it." Binx explained as Clair carried him. "If they do, then someone might suffer the same fate as Emily and everyone else that they stole their life force from."

Chase shuddered at that. "Man..."

"Now we definitely can't let them get the book." Anne said. As they passed by a display table on the curb, a few of them noticed some keychains. Anne examined one and chuckled. "Hey, Binx, check it out. It's you." she joked, holding up a black cat keychain.

"Ah, of course... Salem does like to feature things from the legends to sell when it comes to Halloween." Binx nodded, a bit amused.

Sora examined one as well. "It says these are free." he said as he pocketed a keychain. Chase decided to grab one for the road. Anne did as well, figuring it would make a nice souvenir, before they caught up with the rest of the group.

They then found themselves walking down an empty road. Not a single person was in sight. It was a bit unnerving, since they had no idea if the witches would appear again or not.

"Where is everyone...?" Dani asked.

"They must be in the parts of town where there's more candy..." Allison guessed.

Suddenly, a portal of darkness appeared in front of them, making them jump back in surprise. A moment later, a figure that Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi were very familiar with stepped out. "Well, if it ain't the pipsqueaks! Out trick-or-treating, are ya?"

"Pete!"

The rest of the team, however, stared in confusion. "Who?" Aurora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He works for Maleficent!" Donald explained, having his staff at the ready.

"... is that a giant talking cat...?" Allison asked.

"What are you doing here?!" Sora frowned, summoning his Keyblade.

"Like I'd tell you." Pete smirked. "Now you get outta my way. We have a box to look for."

"Box? What box?"

Pete's eyes widened as he realized what he said. "Uh, forget I said anything! Nothing important!" he said quickly to try and cover it up, mentally hitting himself for what he let slip. Maleficent was going to have his head for this!

Thinking fast, he summoned some Heartless for them to deal with. "You take care of these twerps!" he ordered the dark creatures.

"Heartless!" Anne frowned, calling her Keyblade to her hand. Binx hissed at the creatures of darkness.

Clair handed Binx to Dani, ushering her away. "Go, get back!" she warned them.

Max grabbed his sister, quickly running back to a safer spot with Allison and Nash while the rest got ready to fight. A Shadow scrambled to attack, but Aurora hit it in its face with her Keyblade, then slashed through it.

A Soldier that materialzed ran at Dylan, but he swung his sword, parrying an attack from its claws. The erratic Heartless stumbled, losing its balance as it was left open for an attack. Jason moved in and brought his gray and red Keyblade down on it, then finished it off by slamming his weapon into its side.

A Search Ghost attempted to attack Anne from behind, but she moved out of the way before it could even grab her. She whirled around and cast Aero, making the Search Ghost spin uncontrollably. Anne then leapt up at the Heartless, attacking it with her Keyblade. She hit it as hard as she could, then delivered a downward slash as she fell back towards the ground. The Heartless was destroyed by that, fading in a wisp of darkness as a heart was released.

"Clair, watch out!" Dani gasped as she saw a Neoshadow rise out of the ground behind her. Clair turned around and shot a fireball at the monster, knocking it back.

Chase then ran over to help her. He sped at the Neoshadow, throwing a punch at it, but it weaved out of the way. It then swung at him with its claws, making him yelp as he ducked down, avoiding getting hit before he tried to focus. "Thunder!" he yelled, casting the thunder spell as a bolt of lightning came down on the Heartless.

It electrocuted the monster, but spells weren't Chase's fortitude. It twitched violently from the shock, but soon recovered. "Uh oh." Chase said, then quickly sped behind the Neoshadow. It looked left and right to try and spot him, and each time it did, Chase ran in the opposite direction it was looking in while staying behind the Heartless.

The speedster then sensed an opportunity to have some fun with the Heartless. Chase tapped it on the shoulder, quickly speeding out of its view as it turned around. He then ran in front of the Neoshadow, waving. "Hello!"

As it swiped at him, he ran out of the way. "Missed me!" Chase taunted. The Neoshadow started to grow aggravated before it sank back into the ground, turning into a dark puddle as it slithered beneath Chase's feet. The speedster of the group quickly moved back just as it burst out of the ground, taking another swipe at the teen. However, it missed him completely since he was faster than the Heartless.

A blade then appeared through its chest. It stiffened, then went limp as it faded away in wisps of dark smoke.

"What were you thinking?" Dylan asked as he wiped his sword on his pants.

"I thought I might buy some time for someone to attack it!" Chase defended himself.

His brother shook his head. "You were goofing off again."

Chase was about to retort, but saw a Heartless coming up behind Dylan. "Watch out!" he exclaimed, grabbing his brother, running out of the way with him before the Search Ghost could hit Dylan with its claws.

Aurora attacked the Heartless. It lost its balance from the surprise attack, so Anne took this chance to land a blow on it as well. The ghostly Heartless was destroyed by that.

"I really hate these things." The teen growled as she turned to another Heartless.

Aurora just shook her head. "You and me, both..." she said.

Some Heartless were making their way over to Max and the others, so Jason went on the attack. "Go!" he told them while tackling a Neoshadow. "We'll hold them off!"

Max nodded, grabbing Dani's hand. "Be careful!" Binx warned them.

They, as well as Nash, ran away while Jason kept the Neoshadow at bay. The brown haired teenager then plunged his Keyblade into the Neoshadow's back. If the thing had a mouth, it probably would've screamed at the attack. But since it didn't have a mouth, it just melted back into the ground.

Jason leapt up to his feet, readying himself for any other kind of attack.

Clair shot a Blizzard spell on the ground, then slid on the ice towards a Wight Knight, ramming her Keyblade into it. The speed of the attack was enough to destroy the Heartless.

Pete scowled, beginning to grow annoyed. "Alright, looks like it's my turn!" he said as he got ready to fight.

"You're outnumbered, weaponless, and incredibly obese." Chase mocked. "I think the odds are in our favor, Fat Cat."

Pete was irked even more from the taunt. "Why you little-! You're mincemeat!" Pete growled, throwing what appeared to be a bowling ball at him.

That caught Chase by surprise. "Huh? Where'd that come from?"

It suddenly exploded as it reached him, knocking the teen away. "GAH!" he cried out in shock before landing on his back.

"Chase!" Anne, Dylan, and Clair called out with alarm.

Chase winced as he slowly sat up, his body aching from the blast. "Ouch..."

Dylan glared at the cat, electricity crackling along his blade as he did. "Why, you..." He couldn't find the right insult to channel his anger through. He then charged straight at Pete, raising his blade. Pete charged at Dylan, chuckling as he did so. Dylan leapt up into the air to strike him.

Pete stopped as he did, his face paling with the realization that he bit off more than he could chew. "Uh-oh."

The teen let out a yell, swinging at him. Pete leaned to the side to avoid getting cut, but nearly lost his balance. There was so much electricity running up and down the blade, however, that it managed to shock him before the blade hit.

"YEEOOWWW!" Pete shrieked as he was zapped for the second time in a row that day. Dylan then used his sword to knock Pete's legs out from under him.

The fat anthropomorphic cat landed on his back with a thud, grunting. Dylan glared at Pete. "No one messes with my brother!" he exclaimed, pointing his sword at him.

"Bro, I'm fine." Chase said as he got up, though he was covered in soot. He wiped some of it off his face as Clair checked on him.

"Heal." She cast the Cure spell on him healing the damage he took. However, Dylan was too angry at Pete. Pete tried to get back up to attack, but Dylan knocked him back down with another swing to the feet. Anne looked just as angry about Chase being hurt.

"If you know what's good for you, Tubby, you'll stay down." Dylan growled.

"Tubby?!"

"Yeah, or else you'll deal with us." Anne scowled as she had her Keyblade ready. Pete just glared at the two of them.

"Why I oughta...!" In a last ditch effort, he slammed his fists onto the ground, creating a small shockwave that knocked the two back. Seeing this as an opportunity to escape, he got up to his feet and turned to run for it. However, he failed to take Jason and Aurora into account.

They charged at him before he could even see them coming. Aurora leapt and kicked Pete in the back of the head while Jason punched where he guessed the kidneys were supposed to be. "OOF!" Pete coughed, stumbling as imaginary birds flew around his head. His eyes rolled back before he fell forward, landing on his stomach. Thanks to the surprise attacks, as well as being shocked by the electricity from Dylan's sword and the blow to the head, he had been knocked out for the time being.

"I expected more." Jason said, dismissing his Keyblade.

"You caught him off guard. He mostly uses the Heartless to attack, and he'll use those explosives from earlier if it gets to that point." Donald explained while Sora cautiously prodded with his Keyblade, getting no response.

"Something tells me he's not gonna stay down for long."

"Then should we stay here waiting for him to wake up?" Clair asked Kairi.

The red-haired girl shook her head. "We have to get a move on and catch up with the others."

Dylan decided to check on Chase. "Are you okay?" he questioned, calming down.

"I told you before, bro, I'm fine. It's okay." Chase told him. However, his brother shook his head.

"Whatever that was, what if it hurt you worse-"

"Dylan, calm down." Chase gave him a reassuring smile, then joked, "Besides, it was nothing I couldn't handle. Takes more than a bowling strike to keep me off my feet."

"Oh, really?" Anne commented with a bit of sarcasm, though relieved to see that he had recovered thanks to Clair.

That made Dylan blink, but he let out a sigh of relief as he relaxed, realizing that if his brother was already making jokes, he was definitely okay. He then turned his attention to their unconscious foe on the ground. "... are we just gonna leave him there?"

"Do you have a binding spell in one of those books of yours or something?" Chase asked Clair.

"Let me see." She reached into her bag, pulling out one of her books as she began flipping through it. "Hmmm... book binding... curing bat blindness... binding contracts... aha. I think this one will work. I haven't used this before, though..." She then focused, muttering the words on it as she held out her hand. A moment later, rope appeared out of thin air, wrapping around Pete by itself and tying the unconscious overweight cat up. Her eyes lit up. "It worked!"

"Way to go!" Anne praised as Chase gave her a pat on the shoulder.

Sora took one last look at Pete to make sure he was still knocked out before ushering the group to follow. "Alright, guys, let's go!"

They then ran out of the area, leaving the unconscious tied up Pete behind.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of town, a certain zombie started to climb out of the sewer. Billy had managed to follow them through the crypt and was stumbling after them the whole way. As he pushed open the cover to the manhole, peering out, a motorcyclist and his girlfriend rode by on his motorcycle, completely unaware of Billy.

They drove over the manhole, forcing it down on poor Billy's fingers, causing a few of them to become severed since he was a living corpse. All Billy could do was let out a muffled scream of pain.

* * *

Back with the rest of the group, they were heading towards the downtown area, finding Max, Nash, Dani, Allison, and Binx running around a corner.

"Did you find an officer?" Goofy asked once they caught up with them.

"Yeah, except he didn't believe us." Max told them, stopping to catch his breath as he held the book. "Did you take care of that werido and those freaky monsters back there?"

"We did. He didn't really put up much of a fight since we caught him off guard." Sora said. "He shouldn't be coming after us for a while, at least."

"So what's our next move?" Anne questioned, crossing her arms.

"We could warn Mom and Dad and all the other parents." Dani spoke up, gaining their attention. "They said they were going to the dance at town hall tonight."

"Let's review that plan." Jason said, counting off on his fingers. "Go to party, tell the grown-ups witches are back from the dead, that monsters are coming to get their children. I don't see any chance of success."

"It's worth a shot!" Dani insisted as she looked up at the teenager while Binx leapt into her arms.

"Well, you can count me out." Jason said.

Aurora nodded. "They won't listen."

"Come on, guys, have a little faith." Allison told the two. "There's always the chance."

"Fine. You do what you think is right." Aurora said. "I'm not going."

Anne shook her head at the raven haired girl. "But-!" Dani protested.

"Dani, if they don't want to come inside, we can't make them." Binx said calmly. Dani opened her mouth to say something, but closed it, realizing that the cat was right.

Jason just motioned for them to go. "You guys better get going. Every second counts."

Clair let out a sigh. "Both of you stay out of trouble. Got it?" she warned the two, giving them a look.

"Lately trouble seems to find us." Jason told her.

"Just don't fight..." Clair told them. "Remember what happened the last time?"

The memory of being turned into a rabbit popped into Aurora's head at that.

"If you see anything, meet us in front of the town hall." Allison told the two.

"Where exactly is it?" Chase asked, realizing that they still didn't exactly know the layout of the town yet.

"It's just a few blocks away. Come on, follow me." Allison began to lead them.

Anne turned to look back at the two staying behind. "Keep an eye out for those witches!" she advised.

"What else would we be on lookout for?" Jason asked.

The group then split up, leaving Jason and Aurora alone on the sidewalk.

* * *

Winifred, Mary, and Sarah had been taken to another part of town by the bus, having lost the scent of the children. However, they came across their 'master's' home. Apparently, they had angered his wife.

Right now, they had scrambled out of the house they had stopped by while being chased by a little Yorkshire terrier.

Mary was eating something she had been given. "It's... it's candy. Why would the Master give us candy?"

"Very strange..." Sarah nodded, then realized that their brooms were missing. They had set them against a fence before they entered, but now they were gone. "My broom!"

As they walked away, Winifred noticed a goblin standing nearby searching through a bag of candy that it had and narrowed her eyes, looking at it closely. "He is not our master, and this is not a goblin!" she realized as she grabbed a mask and pulled it off, revealing it to be a boy who was confused.

"Hey, cool it!" the boy said with surprise.

"A child?!" Mary gasped.

The boy smacked them with his bag of candy. "Weirdos!" he exclaimed before running away.

"Weirdos...?" Sarah asked as she and Mary watched him run away.

Winifred frowned. "Sisters! Don't you see? All Hallow's Eve has become a night of frolic! Where children wear costumes and run amok!" she told them, having figured it out.

"Amok!" Sarah repeated with a laugh, then started bouncing. "Amok, amok, amok, amok-!"

Annoyed, Winnie hit her in the stomach again, making her hunch over as she gasped, trying to regain her breath.

Mary then sniffed. "Winnie. I smell some of them. A boy, fifteen, maybe sixteen, and a girl just a little older."

"Take us to them, then!" Winnie ordered. Mary began to follow her nose while Sarah and Winifred went after her.

* * *

Jason and Aurora were walking through town, keeping an eye on the kids and an eye out for the witches. The boy couldn't figure things out. Why would people dress up as mystical stuff like angels and demons, witches and ghosts, and yet teach each other that those things did not exist? There was no logic to such thinking. And now these kids were running around putting themselves in danger that they did not believe in.

"Alright, out with it." Aurora told him. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" Jason asked her.

"Not go. I get that there's no way in the world adults are going to listen to us about witches coming back after three centuries, but you're holding something back. Their disbelief isn't why you refused to go."

"You're right. That's only part of the reason." Jason looked at her. "Truth is, we know they need a child, and the book, but we don't want them to get both. They have the book, we're out here."

She then realized what he was saying. "We're decoys. But aren't we a little old?"

Jason looked around, and saw a bookshop. "I have an idea. Should those idiots find us." Entering the book shop, he looked around for a bit. When he came out a few minutes later, he was holding a big book in a brown, wrinkled cover that from a distance looked familiar. Aurora nodded with understanding when she caught on to his plan, but said nothing. Looking out of the corner of his eye, the teen then saw three familiar figures coming down the street.

"There they are!" Sarah said as they spotted the two of them. "And they have the book!"

"There they are." Aurora whispered. She and Jason exchanged a look before they nodded.

"After them!" Winifred shouted before they started to run towards the two teenagers.

The two teens then ran, as part of the plan. The witches gave chase, which made Jason smile. They were falling for the plan. After going about a block, the two ran into a grocery store, making sure the witches saw them enter.

Mary looked up at it curiously. "What kind of building is this?"

"Keep moving, you fool!" Winifred exclaimed, making her snap out of it before she ran into the store with her sisters.

The witches had no idea what to think when they entered, but they saw Jason toss the book to Aurora as the two dashed into different parts of the place.

"Which way do we go?" Mary asked, though she was a bit distracted by all the products she saw on display.

"Split up!" Winifred told them. "You and Mary go after the boy! I'll go after the girl!"

The witches then split up. Sarah paused to look at some of the decorations while Mary spotted some food in the open.

"Wow... so pretty..." Sarah whispered to herself.

Mary, with a curious look on her face, took a can of crazy cheese off a shelf. She then popped the lid off, surprised as she did.

Sarah's eyes wandered to a giant inflatable spider. Her eyes widened, approaching it. That had to be the largest spider she had ever seen! She hesitated for a moment before reaching out, poking it. It bounced a bit from the poke, then settled down.

Back with Mary, she found a little button on a nozzle and pressed it. Some cheese shot out of it, getting on her shirt. She flinched in surprise from that. Picking up the cheese from her shirt, she stuffed it inside her mouth. Mary then started spraying it into her mouth, gobbling up the cheese.

Sarah poked the spider again, with the same result. A smile then crept onto the witch's face as she believed she figured out what it was for. She giggled, clapping her hands childishly before climbing atop of it, bouncing on it a bit.

Jason just watched from his position, shaking his head at how stupid they were. No wonder they were so easy to trick.

Aurora had ducked between aisles, trying to lose the witch following her.

The teen had managed to hide herself from view, using some techniques she had learned from her time back home. Thank Gri that there had been some other Morugan survivors, and that one of them had been skilled in the ancient martial arts. She remained as still as possible, keeping quiet as Winnie passed by the spot she was hiding in.

Once she was sure she was in the clear, she moved silently, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. She then slipped into another row away from the redheaded witch. After weaving between isles, she tossed the decoy book to Jason once she spotted him.

Jason gave a nod before moving to another spot to hide, keeping the decoy book close.

Sarah was still bouncing atop the inflatable spider, laughing a bit.

Aurora also hid, shaking her head at the idiocy of the two sisters.

Mary was still eating the crazy cheese as a couple people just stared at her, wondering why this strange lady was eating something in the middle of the store. Winifred had found her by this point. "What are you doing?" she frowned, grabbing her ear and tugging her away. "No time for snacking!"

A store worker came up to them. "You're going to have to pay for that." He then noticed Sarah bouncing. "Hey! Off the decorations. What are you? Six years old?"

Sarah reluctantly climbed off. "No, I'm not."

"I'm going to have to ask you three to leave."

"But we are in search of something that is ours!" Mary protested.

The worker shook his head. "You're causing a disturbance in the store. Don't make me have to ask twice, ma'am."

"Or what?" Winifred scoffed.

"Or we're going to have to remove you forcefully."

Jason and Aurora exchanged a look from their hiding places. This guy had no idea what he was dealing with. He was going to get himself killed unless they did something.

Jason looked around to try and find a distraction. He found some frozen pizzas behind him. An idea popped into his head as he grabbed a stack of them. He made sure that Aurora had some, too. "On three. One... two... three!" he mouthed. They then threw the pizzas at the sisters.

The witches shrieked in surprise when they saw them flying at them, trying to smack the boxes away. Sarah even slipped on a couple, grabbing Winifred to try and balance herself, but took her older sister down with her. Jason and Aurora then took this chance to make a run for it while the store worker was surprised by the pizzas as well.

Jason tossed some munny that Goofy had lent him earlier, which had transformed into this world's currency, at the store guy. "Keep the change!" He said as they ran towards the exit.

"My book!" Winifred screamed, but they were already gone.

Aurora and Jason ran out of the exit, shutting the door behind them. They ran away from the store and once they were far enough, they paused to catch their breath.

"Well, we got them to follow us." Aurora said.

"Not bad." Jason told her.

She looked at him. "Not bad yourself."

Jason actually cracked a smile at that. "Never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Don't get used to it." she told him.

Jason shook his head. He was about to retort, but held back. With the witches still after them, now was not the time to be caught up in something else. "Okay, okay... we should probably get going, now..."

He then noticed a building. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Aurora asked. Jason just pointed, showing that they made it to what appeared to be the town center. They saw many people going inside, including the rest of the team, as well as Max's group.

"How are we supposed to find Mom and Dad in here?" they could hear Max faintly ask. Jason looked at the decoy book he held. He hoped they could use it to draw the witches away from the others. He and Aurora exchanged a look before they resumed looking around for the witches. They saw no sign of them, however, as they edged closer to the town hall. They could see the rest of the group ascending some stairs through a window.

"We need to make sure the witches don't get in." Jason said.

"And how do we do that?" Aurora asked, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that there wasn't anyone behind them.

Jason held up the fake book. "Still have the decoy."

Aurora let out a sigh before looking back at the town hall. "Okay. But unless they can mask their scents, I'm not sure that's going to do much good."

* * *

Back inside, the group was making their way towards a large room where they could hear music coming from.

"Are you sure they're in here?" Anne asked Dani.

Dani gave a nod. "Yeah, they said they'd be at a party." she said as they entered a large room, finding many adults in there having a good time, dancing and laughing as a band dressed up as skeletons, complete with the makeup on their faces, performed for them.

Anne whistled with surprise, nodding her head along to the music. "Whoa..."

"This is going to be finding two needles in a haystack." Nash groaned as he observed the room.

"Any idea what your parents dressed up as?" Chase asked.

"Uh... no." Max admitted with a shrug. "Dani and I left our home before they did."

"Well, that's just great." Dylan said with a sigh.

"I'm gonna look for Mom." Dani told them as she held Binx so he wouldn't accidentally be stepped on.

"You want some of us to come with you?" Kairi offered her.

The little girl gave a nod. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

"I'll go." Clair offered.

"Let's split up, guys. Meet us by the door if something goes wrong." Sora told the team.

They then went their separate ways. Anne was still listening to the song that the band was playing, but then realized they were heading off in separate directions, so she went towards one to search.

They looked around the costumes, but couldn't find the people they were looking for.

A couple adults cheered as they danced. Chase took a step back as a few danced by him, then caught up to Clair.

Max looked around with Sora, Kairi, and Allison, trying to find a trace of his mother and father when he felt a pair of hands suddenly grab him from behind. He let out a gasp, thinking it was the witches, but calmed down when he turned and saw it was just his father dressed up as a vampire.

"Dad!"

Mr. Dennison smiled. "It's not Dad, it's _'Dad-cula'_." he joked, using an accent.

Kairi giggled at the pun as Sora chuckled. His father smiled as he noticed her and Sora, keeping up the accent. "You've made some new friends!" He then gave Allison a kiss on the hand. "And who must this lovely young blood donor be?"

Max shook his head, trying to get him to listen. "Dad, something terrible happened!"

His father's eyes widened as he immediately became serious. "Dani? What's wrong? Did something happen to her?" he asked, dropping the accent with a worried look on his face.

"No, Dani's fine!"

"She's here, looking for you." Sora said.

"But that's not the problem." Kairi added.

"What is it, then?" Mr. Dennison asked.

In another part of the room, Anne was trying to weave her way through the crowd of people looking for anyone who had some resemblance to Max, but someone bumped into her, making her stumble into Dylan as he came from the opposite direction. Both of them grunted from the impact,

Their eyes widened as they realized they bumped into each other. "Oh... hi..." Anne joked lightly as she regained her balance.

"H-Hi..." Dylan stumbled over his words.

The two found themselves staring at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Uh..."

Someone bumped into Anne, sending her into Dylan's arms as he caught her. Their eyes widened at that as both could feel their hearts beating a little faster.

Anne felt her cheeks heat up as they stared into each other's eyes for a moment.

"Mom?" They then heard Dani ask. The duo turned their attention towards the sound of Dani's voice, seeing her just a few feet away with Clair and Chase as they searched for Dani and Max's mother. Dani peered through the mask of a person wearing an alligator costume as they danced. "Mom?"

The person shook their head in reply before they went back to dancing. The group of three then found a woman in a very strange costume dancing.

Dani looked at her with confusion. "... Mom?"

The woman paused dancing as she realized her daughter was there. "Hm?"

"What are you supposed to be?"

Mrs. Dennison smiled. "Madonna! Well, obviously, don't you think?"

Anne's jaw dropped at her costume. It was... what was the word? Revealing? Gaudy?

Dani's mother then noticed the teens with her. "Are they friends of yours and Max?"

"Yeah, they helped us out earlier when we ran into some trouble." Dani said as she looked back at them for a moment.

"Hi there." Chase greeted.

"Nice to meet you." Clair nodded.

Dani gestured for her mother to come closer and up Binx for her to see. "This cat is Binx, he can talk. Max is a virgin, he lit the Black Flame Candle, and now the witches are after us. We need help."

Her mother just smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "How much candy have you had, honey?" she asked, not believing her.

"But its true!" Clair said.

"I haven't had a single piece tonight! The witches are real, they can fly on brooms, they can summon creepy monsters, and they gonna eat all the kids in Salem!" Dani told her.

Anne was starting to wonder if Jason and Aurora were right. Maybe they should have tried a different approach to this... where were those two, anyway?

Mrs. Dennison then stood up. "Let's just find your father, okay?"

"Ma'am, we're not joking, the witches are back. We saw it ourselves." Dylan told her.

"They're out there doing who-knows-what." Anne added.

"Seriously, they're after us and they could be coming any minute!" Chase said.

* * *

Outside, Jason and Aurora were still on the lookout. Jason let out a sigh as he leaned against a tree while flipping through the pages of the decoy book. "... any sign of them, yet?"

"No, not yet- wait... I think I see them."

Jason looked in the direction that she was gazing at and saw Winnie, Mary, and Sarah coming down the street. "Time to distract them."

Jason then closed the book as he and Aurora began to walk down a sidewalk together near the building. This did not go unnoticed by the three sisters.

"There they are! Get my book!" Winifred exclaimed, pointing at the teens before they gave chase to the teens.

They then broke out into a run as they ran around a corner with the trio running after the duo.

They ended up running into a set of trashcans, slowing them down as the witches got closer.

"Now, thou brats, give me my spellbook if thou value thy lives!" Winifred threatened.

"Here you go!" Jason tossed it at them while he and Aurora ran.

Winifred let out a triumphant cackle as she caught it while Mary and Sarah cheered. "Fools!"

The two seemed to run off while the witches looked over the book. Further inspection made Winnie see the truth. "Wait. This isn't my book!" Opening it, she snarled at what it was. "It's a cookbook!"

"A cookbook?" Mary asked, looking at it to see the recipes. "These look quite delicious!"

Winifred scowled, throwing the book to the ground.

"Uh oh." Jason muttered from where he and Aurora hid.

"Mary, find the brats." Winifred ordered. Mary began to follow her nose while her sisters followed close behind as they headed towards the town hall.

Jason silently cursed. "So much for leading them away."

"The others are in there with the book." Aurora then realized as she looked at Jason, who realized it as well.

"Come on!" he took off towards the building with Aurora before the witches could see them.

They managed to find a side door to get in and to get a head start thanks to this, getting ahead of the witches before they even got into the building as they scrambled up the stairs, nearly tripping a couple times.

When they got to the party, they realized how difficult it was going to be to find their friends.

"... well... great." Jason muttered.

"Come on." Aurora gestured for him to move. They started to make their way through the crowd.

"Clair?" Jason called his cousin's name as they searched.

Aurora could then spot Nash up ahead, weaving her way through with Jason behind her. "Nash, where are the others?"

"Um, somewhere in this room..." Nash stated.

"Gee, that narrows it down." she deadpanned.

Nash peered over a few party-goers and managed to make out Sora and Max through the crowd. "Hey, there's Sora!" he said before the three quickly made their way to them. They passed by Donald and Goofy, who were at the punch table. They noticed them and immediately followed as Goofy finished a cup of punch as fast as he could before they went after the three. As they did, they saw Anne, Chase, Dylan, Clair, Dani, and a woman in a strange costume come over to where Max, Sora, Allison, Kairi, and a man dressed as a vampire were.

"Red alert: The witches are here." Jason told them as soon as they caught up to them.

"Uh oh." Anne muttered with wide eyes.

"Dad, you have to believe us!" Max tried to tell his father desperately as the latter tried to get him to slow down so he made sense.

At the entrance, the Sanderson sisters stepped inside, observing the people dancing. Mary found herself bobbing her head along to the beat as she hummed. "Sniff them out!" she ordered. Sarah headed off in one direction while Winnie had to smack Mary in the stomach to get her moving. She could then hear the band singing.

 _"... cause there's no nicer witch than you_

 _I put a spell on you, and now you're mine!"_

Winifred tapped her temple with her finger, smirking as she began to form a plan in her head.

"They're here!" Dani gasped. Everyone looked in the direction she was and saw Winifred and Mary searching around. However, Mr. and Mrs. Dennison couldn't see them among the crowd.

Anne's eyes wandered over to the band on stage and got an idea. "Max, this way!" she told him. Max quickly handed the real spellbook to Allison.

"Hold this for me, okay?"

Jason and Aurora shook their heads. They knew this wasn't going to work. "Guys? Guys!" Jason tried, but Anne and Max were already making their way towards the stage.

"Sarah!" Winifred snapped as she saw Sarah flirting with a man dressed as a mummy. The platinum blonde witch snapped out of it, hurriedly telling the man goodbye before she rushed over to Winnie.

"Did you find them?!"

"Find who?" Sarah asked curiously, having been distracted. Winifred's eye twitched before slapping her own forehead, groaning.

Anne and Max then hopped on stage, rushing over to the lead singer. Max quickly snatched the mic from him while Anne exclaimed, "Cut the music! It's urgent!"

"Hey, what are you doing?" the singer protested.

"Everyone, listen up!" Max started as he spoke into the mic.

The party-goers stopped dancing as they looked up at the two teens with confusion, some a bit upset about the music being cut off.

"Your kids are in danger!" Anne said bluntly, causing some of the adults in the crowd to react with concern.

"What do you mean?!" a woman called.

"Three hundred years ago, the Sanderson sisters bewitched people, and now they've returned from the grave." Max explained, earning some laughter of disbelief from a few adults. The Sanderson sisters in the crowd turned their backs as they tried to avoid being spotted, with Winifred coverig her face with her hand as she continued to think of a plan to counter this.

"It's true, everyone!" Sora said, climbing onto the stage as well.

"We know this sounds dumb, but they're here tonight! Look! They're right over there!" Anne pointed at the three in the crowd, causing everyone to turn their way. The people gasped as they let out murmurs of surprise while a spotlight was put on the three. The sisters squinted, shielding their eyes from the bright light.

Winifred, however, smirked as she took advantage of this. "Thank you, Max... Anne... for that _marvelous_ introduction!"

The crowd laughed, applauding. Winifred then began to sing.

 _"I put a spell on you!_

 _And now you're mine_

 _You can't stop the things I do_

 _I ain't lyin'!"_

Dani's eyes widened as she realized what the witch was doing. "No! No, don't listen to them!" she desperately warned, covering her ears. However, her parents were distracted by the song as they moved forward. Chase and Clair covered their ears as well, trying to warn the rest of the crowd. The audience chuckled as Winifred put on the show.

 _"Ah, it's been three hundred years_

 _Right down to the day_

 _Now the witch is back_

 _And there's hell to pay!"_

Mary and Sarah headed towards the stage as they realized what their sister was doing.

"Good joke, guys. Happy Halloween!" the lead singer laughed, patting Anne and Max on the backs.

"No, you've gotta get outta here!" Anne insisted, but he took the mic back, shooing them away. Realizing this wasn't working, Max, Anne, and Sora scrambled off the stage. Jason shook his head as he tried to warn the party-goer's around them, but they were too entranced by the 'show'.

"Don't listen! It's a trap!"

 _"I put a spell on you_

 _And now you're... MINE!"_ Winifred cackled. The audience started to cheer, enjoying the performance they were witnessing as Winifred strutted up to the stage. Dani, realizing that her parents weren't going to listen and were entranced, quickly ran to try and reunite with the rest of the group, with a few of the others following close behind.

The band started to kick up the music as the sisters arrived. Sarah and Mary took off their cloaks, tossing them to the side.

"Hello, Salem! My name's Winifred! What's yours?" Winifred grinned. Anne recognized that reference, and rose an eyebrow. How did a witch who had been dead for three centuries know about that? There was no time to wonder about that now. She had to keep herself and the others from hearing the witch's music. Right now she wished the muses were here to help.

The other two sisters went to a pair of microphone stands, figuring out how they worked as Winnie continued to sing.

 _"I put a spell on you_

 _And now you're gone!"_

 _"Gone, gone, gone_

 _So long!"_ Mary and Sarah sang as backup, both giving a little wave on the last part.

 _"My whammy fell on you_

 _And it was strong!"_

 _"So strong, so strong, so strong!"_

As the teens tried to make their way through the crowd, Anne quickly placed her headphones on over her ears, putting a song on her playlist on to block out the witches. Everyone else covered their ears. Most didn't understand why, but they could see if they didn't, it wouldn't be good for them.

"Dylan?! Chase?! Guys!" she called over the music as Max and Sora caught up with her.

"Sora! Over here!" Kairi called as she spotted him, waving him over to where she was as the group reunited.

 _"Your wretched little lives have all been cursed_

 _Because of all the witches working_

 _I'm the worst!"_ Winifred paused, pointing at herself with a big, proud grin.

 _"I put a spell on you_

 _And now you're mine!"_

Dani caught up with Max, who immediately grabbed her protectively as they all started to back away.

"Wait, where's Binx?!" Chase asked over the music, clamping his hands over his ears.

"Binx, where are you?!" Dani called.

"Over here!" They could hear Binx say as he scrambled over to them, avoiding getting stepped on by some of the people in the crowd as they danced.

Jason looked over towards the exit as he kept his ears covered. "We need to get out of here!"

 _"Watch out, watch out, watch out!_

 _She ain't lyin'!"_

It was then Billy Butcherson came through the crowd, swiping at the group. The closest to him ducked down to avoid being grabbed as they let out yells of surprise. Donald stomped on Billy's foot before Dylan shoved the zombie back as they made a run for it.

Winifred, Mary, and Sarah strutted across the stage together as the eldest of the three continued singing.

 _"If you don't believe_

 _You'd better get superstitious!_

 _Ask my sisters!"_

 _"Ooh, she's vicious!"_ Mary and Sarah chimed.

They then ran into Max and Dani's parents, who were dancing along.

"Great show, huh?" Mr. Dennison smiled.

"You've gotta get moving!" Clair tried to tell him.

"Cover your ears!" the Dennison siblings warned them, but they paid no attention to them. Dylan realized that they wouldn't listen thanks to the music. Billy then ran into them again, but they avoided him and he bumped into Max's parents. The walking corpse grunted, but gave them a quick nod before going after the teens.

 _"I put a spell on you!_

 _A wicked spell_

 _I put a spell on you!_

 _Sisters!"_ Winifred called the other two witches to her side as they chanted together.

 _"Ah say into pie!_

 _Uppa-maybe-uppen die!"_

 _"Ah say into pie!_

 _Uppa-maybe-uppen die!"_ the crowd repeated eagerly, singing along. The group was making their way towards the exit at this point, having pushed their way through the crowd.

 _"In Kamma Korey Ama!"_

 _"In Kamma Korey Ama!"_

Clair used some of her magic to upturn some furniture to try and slow the zombie down. It had worked, as Billy tripped over a couple chairs, landing on his face.

 _"Hey, hi, say bye bye...!_

 _Bye bye!"_ the witches finished, striking a pose as the crowd applauded, giving whoops and cheers. Thankfully, the team had gotten out of the room in time.

Winnie then gave a sinister grin. "Dance, dance, dance until you die!" she laughed wickedly as they finished casting the spell. The people in the audience then began dancing wildly as they had the time of their lives, thinking nothing was wrong.

* * *

Once outside, the group put as much distance between them and the town hall as possible.

"Jason was right." Clair said. "They weren't going to believe us."

"Told you!" Jason said as he quickly glanced over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. As they ran towards a back alley to hide in, the group split into half to hide in another nearby since there wasn't enough room in the alley for everyone.

Max angrily kicked a set of boxes. "Hey, hey, hey, calm down!" Sora told him, trying to keep him quiet.

"Sora's right!" Allison agreed. Max whirled around to face them.

"Allison, I want you to take Dani back to your house and don't let her out of your sight! You too, guys! It's too dangerous with these witches and those Heartless popping up!" he told those who had hid in the alley with them.

Dani shook her head. "I'm not leaving you, Max." she insisted. A door nearby then opened, so they quickly ducked down behind another set of crates as a man stepped out. It turned out that he was only a cook, so they relaxed as he reached into a tank, pulling out a lobster before taking it back inside.

Nash sighed, shaking his head. "I can't take much more."

Binx, who was perched atop an old, broken oven, noticed something and his bright green eyes widened. "Uh oh..."

"Uh oh? Whaddya mean 'uh oh'?" Nash asked, but then saw the shadows of the Sanderson sisters on the wall as they were approaching. Everyone immediately ducked down, concealing themselves the best they could as the three stepped into the alley.

"I smell..." Mary tried to figure out what the smell was as Winnie looked at her, eagerly awaiting her answer. "... lobster? They're quite good when they're cooked, though... I also smell... scrod. Scrod. It's a bottom dweller." Mary started to ramble. Winifred's smile fell, replaced by a look of annoyance before she grabbed Mary and started to drag her out of the alley. Sarah, however, looked around curiously, having thought she spotted something.

"Sarah!" Winnie called, snapping her out of it before she quickly left the alley, rejoining her sisters.

Everyone sighed with relief. Allison, who had wedged herself between the wall and the oven, started to pull herself out as she grabbed the handle, but accidentally caused it to open with a loud clang. Everyone's breath hitched as they looked towards her with wide eyes, praying the witches hadn't heard.

"Careful!" Binx warned.

The girl cringed, but when she looked at the oven again, her eyes lit up as she smiled. "I think I've got an idea, guys..."

Max helped her up as Sora asked, "What is it?"

"You know the Hansel and Gretel story?" Allison asked as they quickly began to head over to the other alleyway to let the other half of the team know the coast was clear.

"Yes." Nash, Anne, and Dylan confirmed.

At the same time, Aurora and Jason said, "No."

Sora was the first to arrive in the other alley. "Coast is clear, guys!"

Chase popped out of a trashcan, sighing with relief as Clair poked her head out from behind it. He climbed out as Clair let him help her up while Kairi, Donald, and Goofy came out of hiding from behind a set of cardboard boxes.

"We're running out of ideas." Anne admitted.

"We could still try the bucket of water." Chase suggested, earning some deadpan looks. "What?"

"I know a place we could use. This way!" Allison began to lead them towards a direction. They exchanged a look before running after her.

* * *

Soon, they came across a building with the words Jacob Bailey High School above the entrance.

"Aw, not school...!" Anne groaned.

"What? You hate learning?" Clair asked.

"Yeah, when it comes to some topics. It's so boring... especially back at our school." Anne admitted as she looked at her friend, raising an eyebrow. "You actually like it?"

"Kind of."

"The only class that was a little interesting for me was History." Chase remarked as they stared up at the school before them.

"Well, unless there are subjects on witch hunting, we should formulate a strategy." Jason pointed out.

"There's a kiln in the art room. If we can lure the witches in there, I bet that'll stop them." Allison said. "We need a few distractions."

"The PA system could work." Max suggested.

"Great. Who wants to use it?"

Max, followed by a mischievous looking Anne and Chase, raised their hands.

"Okay. You three are on that." Jason said.

Aurora then pointed out, "We need some way to lure them there..."

"Alright, guys... now, here's the plan..." Max and Allison had them gather in a group huddle, explaining their plan to them.

* * *

The Sanderson sisters had eventually made it to the high school, each of them looking at the building curiously.

'What is this place, Winnie?" Sarah asked.

Mary took a whiff. "It reeks of children."

"It is a _prison_ for children..." Winifred summarized. The three sisters entered the school grounds as they approached the entrance to the building, stepping inside.

Max was howling into the speaker in one of the offices. He, Anne, and Chase smirked as they goofed around with it.

"Welcome to high school hell. I'm your host, Boris Karloff Jr., and these are my co-hosts, Claudia Arachna and Vlad von Crimson." Max introduced.

The three then let out a spooky laugh, which echoed through the halls as the Sandersons walked through the halls, searching around for wherever the voices were coming from.

"Tonight, we have some very special guests with us." Anne said into the intercom.

"Let's give a warm welcome to our three contestants." Max leaned against the desk, putting on a pair of sunglasses. "Sarah, Mary, and Winifred Sanderson!"

"Come on down! Have you read any good spellbooks, lately?" Chase quipped.

"And where can you find a good spellbook these days?" Anne asked, trying to joke around.

Chase made a 'hmmm' noise. "How about the heart of darkness in this place? The worst place to go because no one is allowed to speak? The library?" He made a mental note to apologize to Clair later for that.

The sisters headed towards the large room filled with books, frantically searching around. There were so many books in the room that it would take them possibly half the night to find it.

"Ah, then again, maybe not." Max remarked over the PA, trying to keep a straight face.

"If you were looking for a spell book, where would you go, 'Boris'?" Anne asked him over the PA.

"Maybe the most artistic room in this place, 'Claudia'?" Max suggested.

"Sisters." Winifred ushered, gesturing for them to follow her out of the library. Mary tried to find their scent when they then came across Binx in the hall, who hissed at them.

"Surprise! Looking for something?"

The sisters jumped a bit, but then Winifred scowled. She and her sisters got into position. "Get him!"

They lifted their skirts up slightly as they walked quickly in unison after Binx, who quickly ducked into a nearby room. Suddenly, they heard a voice say, "Hello. I would like a book."

The three paused in confusion, looking around for the source of the voice. They then smirked as they snuck into the room, following the source of the voice. However, they didn't pay attention to the pottery and sculptures in the room as they approached something that resembled a large cabin.

 _"Bonjour, Je voudrais un livre."_ the voice said in a different language.

The witches charged in, reaching out to grab whoever was in there, but to their surprise and confusion, they found nothing except for a strange, box like object that had the voice coming out of it, as well as a few pieces of pottery. "Huh?"

It was then Allison, Sora, Dani, and Kairi slammed the door shut behind them, trapping them inside. Allison then locked the door as the three witches screamed in surprise. "Let's do some baking." Allison quipped as they turned the oven on just as the rest of the group rejoined them. A fire erupted inside the furnace as the Sandersons attempted to escape.

"Winnie! Fire!" Sarah gasped as she saw the flames.

Winifred's eyes widened as she and her sisters tried blowing on the flames to get them to die down, but it failed.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!"

Dani covered her ears, shutting her eyes as Clair and Chase looked away from the sight. They could still hear their screams, though.

Goofy's covered his eyes, unable to watch as he looked away. The flames consumed the Sanderson sisters as they screamed. Then, after a moment, the screams stopped.

"We did it..." Max breathed, then looked at the group with a triumphant look in his eyes. "We did it!"

"Farewell, Winifred Sanderson!" Binx whooped as they ran out of the art room and out of the school, cheering.

Dani did a cartwheel in celebration as Allison spun around. Max let out a whoop as he pumped his fists into the air.

"Ding dong, the witch is dead!" Chase exclaimed.

"Which old witch?" Anne asked, joining in on his humor.

"The wicked witch!"

Clair let out a laugh at the two joking around as Max, Allison, and Dani hugged each other. Dylan and Anne even embraced as they cheered, but then they realized what they were doing. They quickly let go, looking away with slightly shy looks.

Jason looked back at the school. Did they really just win? Part of him thought so, yet there was a part that was nagging at him.

The group then ran a short distance away from the school, prompting Jason to quickly catch up with them.

Binx climbed up a tree, perching himself atop a tree branch as Max and Sora paused while the rest of the team celebrated in a yard ahead of them.

"We did it. We stopped the witches." Max smiled.

"I wanted to do that for three hundred years... ever since they took Emily." Binx remarked with a sigh.

Max and Sora looked up at the black cat, giving him a look of sympathy. "You really miss her, don't you?"

Binx shut his eyes mournfully as his ears drooped. "You can't keep blaming yourself for that, Binx. It happened a long time ago." Max told him.

"Max, take good care of your sister." Binx advised the teen. "You'll never know how precious she is until you lose her..."

Nearby, Aurora found herself wondering about the Heartless while the team was celebrating. They hadn't seen any for a bit now. That made her uneasy.

Binx began to leave, but Jason called out, "Hey, where are you going?"

Max smiled. "You're a Dennison now, Binx! You're a part of the family."

"Come on, Binx! Let's go home!" Dani called to him with a smile.

Binx's eyes lit up at the offer. Jason thought he smiled the best a cat could for a moment. "Home..." Binx said wistfully before he ran to the group.

"Well... looks like our work here's done." Donald remarked as he turned around. "Let's go, guys..."

The eldest of the Dennison siblings paused as he saw some of the group begin to walk away. "Hey, hey, where you going?" Max asked.

Sora scratched the back of his head. "Well... we thought we might as well be on our way since the Sandersons are gone."

"Why not stop by our house? You guys look like you could use a rest." Max offered. The team realized that he was right, as they had been on their feet all night, and hadn't stopped to rest since they got off the Gummi Ship.

Dylan thought for a moment. "That... doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Chase let out a big yawn. "Can we take a break, there? Pleeeease?"

"... I guess it couldn't hurt." Kairi said, shrugging lightly.

Max smiled. "I'm sure mom and dad won't mind. Come on, our house is this way." He gestured for everyone to follow him as they left the schoolyard together.

However, none of them noticed an eerie, green smoke emerging from one of the chimneys of the school...


	34. Come Little Children

The teens walked down the streets of Salem together, making small talk as they celebrated their victory.

Clair laughed. "Did that actually happen?"

"Yep! Anne woke up right in the middle of class and blurted, 'My dog ate my homework!'" Chase remarked.

Anne groaned, hanging her head while some of the group chuckled. "I didn't get any sleep the night before..." she defended, embarrassed at the memory.

"You know, in all my eternal life, I've never once heard a student say 'The cat ate my homework'." Binx joked as he walked by their side.

Clair giggled. "There was someone back at our school who would fall asleep in class a lot." she remembered, wondering if she had managed to make it off of Harthyn when the Heartless came. "Her name was Ashley."

"Bet you two would get along." Chase joked.

"Ha ha." Anne deadpanned at him. Chase, as well as a few others, chuckled. "Besides, it was just that one time!"

"Riiiiggght..."

"... okay, maybe a few times." Anne muttered. Chase chuckled, patting his friend on the back.

"Like you haven't fallen asleep in class before." Dylan teased at Chase, who smirked before giving him a noogie, which Dylan managed to get out of easily. Clair smiled at their antics.

Nash found himself smiling as well. It felt like things had actually calmed down for them, almost like how it felt back where he, Anne, Chase, and Dylan came from...

Jason and Aurora were still glancing over their shoulders warily. So far, there weren't any Heartless that had shown up.

"Hey, relax. The witches are dead." Sora told the two as he noticed them. "It's okay, now."

It was then they arrived at a house at the corner of a street that appeared to be two stories tall. "There's our home." Dani smiled as she picked up Binx, who relaxed in her arms as they approached it. Max took the lead as they approached it, unlocking the door as he stepped in first, turning on the lights.

"Mom? Dad?" Max called.

"We got a new cat!" Dani added, causing a few of them to chuckle as she walked inside with Binx. Max stepped aside, allowing the group to step in first.

Max rose an eyebrow when he didn't hear his parents reply, but shrugged. "I guess they're still at the party." he said before closing the door.

Sora looked around the house once they were all inside. "This is a nice place, Max."

"Thanks. Well, make yourselves comfortable." Max offered as he took off his jacket, hanging it over a chair. Donald let out a sigh of relief as he climbed into a chair, glad to get off his feet.

"Welcome home, Binx." Dani smiled as she showed him around her house.

Goofy noticed a camera lying on the table and got an idea, picking it up. "Hey, fellas, whaddya say we take a picture to remember this day?"

There were murmurs among the group, but they eventually agreed. They all gathered by the stairs, getting close together as Goofy held the camera. Dani stood next to her older brother as he wrapped an arm around her and Allison with a big grin on his face.

"Say 'Salem'!" Goofy called with a smile.

"Salem!"

One picture was taken as the photo came out of the slot. Goofy decided to take another once the photo came out, then showed them both to the team. "Hey, that's very good!" Sora commented.

"Yeah, except Aurora isn't smiling in either." Jason remarked. Aurora merely elbowed him for that. Max took the pictures, then gave one of them to Sora.

"Here, why don't you guys keep this one?"

Sora smiled and accepted it, putting it in one of his pockets carefully. "Thanks..."

Dani then gave a yawn. "I'm tired..." she muttered, heading up the stairs with Binx as she had a bowl of milk in her hands. Max remembered the others were there and got some blankets out for the team, handing a few to them.

"Are you sure your parents will be okay with this?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Max shrugged. "I'll just tell them that you guys helped us out and couldn't get home cause it was too dark, so I let you crash here."

"Good night, everybody!" Dani called, waving to them as Max and Allison followed her up the stairs.

The members of the group looked for spots to rest in, eager to get off their feet. Sora sat down next to Kairi, wrapping a blanket around both of them. Kairi blushed lightly, but smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. Sora found himself blushing a bit as well, but gave her a smile as well.

Anne sat down on a small sofa, letting out a sigh of relief. Tonight was pretty hectic. It was nice to sit down and relax now that it was over...

"Is this seat taken?"

The green-eyed girl looked up, seeing Dylan there with a sheepish expression. Smiling lightly, she moved over a bit, making room for him as he took a seat as well. "What a night, huh...?" Dylan asked.

"Yep..." Anne agreed, beginning to slip her headphones on, but then remembered Dylan was sitting with her. "You... wanna listen?" she offered, holding her headphones over to him.

The raven haired teen smiled, nodding as he took one half of it while Anne held onto the other half, holding it to their ears as they listened to a quiet song.

* * *

Nearby, Chase stretched as he flopped onto one of the couches in the Dennison living room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Clair looking at something. The goofy Enheart turned his head towards her and saw that she was looking at a device that was projecting holographic images of her family.

"What's that?" he asked her curiously.

Clair looked away from the images and blinked. "Hm? Oh. These are my parents..." she explained. Chase got off of the couch he was on and went to sit next to her as he looked at the holographic pictures.

She showed him the device. "It's a holo-screen. It's something from my world. It stores images, videos, tells the time, and anything you want."

Chase's jaw dropped in awe as he looked at it with her. "No way... Clair, that's so cool!"

She smiled. "Thanks."

"So those are your parents?" he asked as he gazed at the images of them.

"Yes..." Clair smiled faintly. "I think you can tell I got most of my looks from my mother's side."

Chase studied her. "Was she... Native American?"

"Native American?" Clair shook her head. "No. She was a descendant of the Hocamli tribe."

"... what?" he blinked after a moment.

Clair chuckled softly, remembering that Anne had a similar reaction when she first explained about the Hocamli to her. "One of the tribes of my world. They were fierce warriors."

"Wow..." Chase whistled.

She smiled. "I know. I'm proud of my heritage." She looked back at the holographic image. "If they made it off of Harthyn and they're out there, somewhere, I can't wait to tell them about the adventures we had."

Chase put his hands on her shoulders. "They're out there. And they'll be proud of you."

Clair looked up at him. "You think so?"

"Positive." Chase smiled.

Clair cracked a smile. "I'm sure that your mom and dad will be proud of you, too... I bet they'll be stunned about your speed."

Chase's smile faltered a bit as he gave a sheepish chuckle. "Yeah... about that... I know Mom would definitely be, but, uh... our dad hasn't been seen in years." he explained.

That surprised her. "What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

Chase sighed, leaning back in the couch. "He was an explorer... he would go out for expeditions days at a time, bring back some awesome stuff from his trips for us." He smiled faintly at that memory, but his smile fell. "But one day... he never came back."

She looked into his eyes with sympathy. "I'm sorry, Chase."

Chase sighed as he looked back at her with a sad smile. "It's just been me, Mom, and Dylan since that day..."

* * *

 _A five year old Chase laughed as he ran through the house with a four year old Dylan chasing after him. "Chase! Give that back! That's mine!"_

 _"Make me!" Chase taunted, sticking his tongue out._

 _"Chase!" Dylan yelled, annoyed as he tried to catch him._

 _Chase laughed. "Can't get me!" he called as they ran into another room, but then he paused as he saw their mother on the phone. Dylan was about to get his toy back, but then he noticed the distraught look on their mother's face._

 _"Mommy...?" Chase asked curiously, dropping the toy. What had her so upset...?_

 _Mrs. Enheart turned to look back at her sons. Chase noticed she looked like she had been crying. "Are you sure...? T-Thank you..." she said into the phone. "If you find anything, please let me know..." she said before she hung up._

 _"Mommy? What's wrong?" Dylan asked, forgetting all about the toy._

 _Their mother shakily approached them, crouching down to their level._ "I-It's your father..." She tried her best to keep herself composed.

 _Although they weren't twins, both brothers knew that they could tell something bad had happened to their father._

 _"Is... Is Daddy okay...?" Chase asked._

 _A tear rolled down Mrs. Enheart's face. "They... they haven't found him... h-he's been labeled missing..." she whispered, starting to break down._

 _"You mean...?" Dylan couldn't finish._

 _Their mother burst into tears before pulling them both into a hug._

 _Chase's eyes widened. Their dad was missing...? How? He never got lost._

 _So couldn't he be found?_

* * *

Clair could see the pain in Chase's eyes. She had a sad look before she suddenly embraced Chase. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.

That surprised the goofball a bit, but he hugged her back.

"I shouldn't have brought it up..."

However, Chase shook his head as he kept hugging her. "It's fine, Clair. He wouldn't want me to live my life with sadness. So I tried to focus on what was right."

"How long...?" she asked him quietly.

"About 11 years, now..."

"Do you... think he's still out there?"

"I honestly don't know..." Chase admitted. "But I'm not giving up on him."

Clair smiled softly at that as they kept hugging. She didn't know why, but she liked the embrace.

Secretly, Chase did, as well. And both found themselves wishing for this moment to last longer.

Clair blushed lightly as they eventually broke the hug. "Well... that was..." she struggled to find the words, for once.

"Nice...?" Chase suggested, giving a soft smile as he was starting to go back to his usual self.

She smiled back at him. "It was."

"So..." Chase began, deciding it was now or never. "When we're not fighting monsters and witches... would you like to go out?"

Clair froze at that, her eyes widening slightly as she stammered, "Y-You mean like on a date?"

Chase was blushing as well, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as he cracked a grin. "If not, I under-."

"Of course!"

Chase did a double take. "Wait, really?!" he gasped. The mage-in-training nodded, making the speedster's face light up. "Best. Night. Ever."

That earned a giggle from Clair as they leaned back in the couch together. Unknown to the two of them, Jason had witnessed the whole thing, his jaw dropping slightly.

"Did they just-"

"Yep." Aurora replied without missing a beat.

* * *

Back at the school, distant screams could be heard as the green smoke that hovered above the building reentered the chimney as the screams became louder, then eventually died down.

In the art room, the door of the kiln flew off the hinges as smoke emerged from it, followed by a recovered and rather frazzled looking Winifred, Mary, and Sarah.

Winifred had an extremely annoyed look as her sisters coughed, waving some smoke out of their faces. "Hello... I want my book. _Bonjour, Je veut mon livre._ " she muttered, blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

"Oh, that hurt..." Mary said, trying to fix her messed up hair.

"Of course it hurt. We were burnt!" Winnie retorted, then turned to her sisters as they were patting out some smoke on their clothing. "Sisters! Come. We must find the book for the spell! Remember, we have until dawn!"

The three witches scrambled out of the art room and through the halls as their shoes clicked against the tile floor. Once they were at the front doors, they practically shoved them open as they rushed out into the schoolyard. Winifred was more determined than ever to get her spellbook back, now.

"Mary!"

The brown haired witch nodded, taking the lead as she followed her nose with her other two sisters close behind.

* * *

Jay and Ice sat atop a car together with a house covered in toilet paper behind them.

"What now, Ice?"

"I dunno... I don't feel so good..." Ice muttered, holding his stomach.

"That's cause it's three in the morning and you're still eating candy!" Jay retorted, rolling his eyes. The two bullies then heard rapid footsteps, making them raise an eyebrow as they turned around and saw a trio of oddly dressed women scurrying around, and to their surprise, one of them sniffed the shoes that Ice had stolen earlier that day.

"I found him!"

"Hey, get off my shoes, lady!" Ice frowned.

Mary looked up, blinking in surprise as she realized her nose had led her to the wrong place again. She could have sworn that this was Max's scent. "Whoops... wrong boy."

Winifred groaned with annoyance. "Why have I been cursed with such sisters?!" she yelled to herself, starting to lose what little patience she had.

Jay shook his head as the three began to walk away. "Why is it the ugly chicks always stay out late?"

Upon hearing that, all three witches slowly turned around, glaring at them.

"'Chicks'?" Winifred spat, then snapped her fingers as a pair of Neoshadows appeared. The two bullies flinched, realizing they may have put their foot in their mouth.

"Uh oh."

The two Heartless lunged forward, grabbing the two teens and holding them in place as Winifred approached them with a glare. "I know just what to do with you... dark creatures, follow me!" she told the two Heartless, who silently lifted Jay and Ice up, beginning to carry them as the two bullies protested and struggled.

"What're we gonna do, Winnie?" Sarah asked, picking up the bag of candy that the two teenagers had with them as they began to head back to their cottage. "Can I play with them?"

"We're going to show these two brats just what happens when you mess with us." Winifred smirked.

A burst of green flames then appeared in their path, stopping them as Maleficent appeared before them, looking rather annoyed. "You still haven't eliminated the Keyblade brats, I see... they're growing to be quite troublesome." she drawled.

"We're trying, Maleficent, ma'am, but they're very slippery!" Mary spoke up.

Maleficent just gave them a glare. "If you do not get them out of the way before sunrise, I will not help you cheat the black flame candle." she threatened.

"Come on, please? Can't you help us now?" Sarah pleaded.

"Silence." Maleficent frowned, tapping her scepter on the ground as dark magic surrounded her for a moment, causing the sisters to flinch and the two bullies to cry out in fear. "My word is final. Either you take care of Sora and his group before daybreak, or I shall not help you and leave you two your fate. Now, if you imbeciles will excuse me, I have someone I need to check on..."

The evil sorceress vanished once again in a burst of black and green flames.

"'Imbeciles'...?" Mary gasped.

"Enough! Come, now... I believe we have a couple of boys to punish." Winifred frowned, gesturing for the witches and Heartless to follow her. The two bullies let out cries of protest the whole way there.

* * *

Moments later, Jay and Ice had been locked in a pair of cages dangling above the cauldron in the Sanderson house. "Let us out!" Ice begged. "We're sorry we called you that!"

"Y-Yeah, you're very pretty!" Jay added, hoping it would help them get out of this. It didn't, but Sarah looked flattered as they force fed the boys candy.

Winifred was now pacing back and forth across the room frantically. "The candle is almost out, sisters. We need to make the potion, and fast!"

"But we don't have the book." Mary pointed out, looking away from the bullies for a moment.

"I know! W-We'll just have to do it by memory!" Winnie said as she struggled to remember what the ingredients were.

"Remember, Winnie, remember!" Mary and Sarah chimed together, which wasn't really helping their elder sister at the moment.

"Ah! Now I remember! 'Oil of boil' and a dead man's nose..."

"Dead man's toes!" Sarah corrected, but neither paid attention to her.

"Quiet, she's trying to think!" Mary scolded. Sarah blinked, but shrugged and wandered off as Winifred muttered to herself, struggling to recall what the spell said.

"Was it his gums...? Or his lips? Perhaps his ears? No, no, no, that can't be right..." Winifred said, then groaned. "It's no use! I don't remember the ingredients! I've got to have my book!" she cried out, scrambling over to the window. In the meantime, Sarah spun the cage Jay was in, causing him to let out more cries as he felt sick to his stomach.

Winnie threw the shutters to the window open, desperately calling out, " _Boooooook!_ Come home, or make thyself known!"

* * *

In the meantime, just about everyone was asleep back at Max's house. Anne and Dylan had drifted off a while ago, with Anne unknowingly resting her head on his chest while Clair rested her shoulder on Chase's across the room.

Donald and Goofy were lying back to back as Donald snored, causing his hat to fly up and fall back down during each snore. Nash was lying on a recliner with his arm hanging over the side as he slept.

Up in Max's room, Allison and Max had woken up, realizing it was rather late. Dani, however, was still fast asleep with Binx in her arms as the cat softly purred.

"Poor Binx..." Allison whispered.

Max gave a nod of agreement. Binx had obviously gone through quite a lot before they had met him. "We owe him a lot. Do you think... maybe we could find some way to help him out?"

Allison's eyes wandered over to a certain spellbook as she picked it up, sitting back down next to Max. "The witches used this to put the spell on him. Maybe it can take it off?"

"Binx and Clair told us not to open it..." Max reminded.

"The witches are dead." the blonde teen pointed out. "What harm could it do?"

Max shrugged. "True..."

Allison took a deep breath before opening the book cautiously. "Nothing weird so far..." she said. But unknown to them, the book emitted an orange glow that lit up like a beacon.

* * *

And it didn't go unnoticed, because across town, a certain redheaded witch spotted it from her window.

"Sister! Observe! They've opened it!" she exclaimed, her mood lightening instantly as she laughed. "What fools! Come, we fly!"

"But our brooms were taken, remember?" Mary reminded, scurrying after her sister. Sarah rushed over to a closet, opening it up as they all peered inside, finding a broom, a mop, and a vacuum among the cobwebs.

"They'll have to do." Winnie muttered before grabbing the broom as she stepped out the door, mounting it as it began to rise into the air with her magic as she cackled. Sarah followed shortly behind on the mop, flying after her sister.

Mary stepped out the door last, having gotten stuck with the vacuum. She glanced down at it uncertainly. "Um... Winnie?" she called, but her sisters were already too far ahead. She stepped atop the flat part of the vacuum as she enchanted it, causing it to magically turn on as it floated up. She nearly fell off, but managed to sit atop it as she quickly flew after her sisters on the makeshift 'broom'.

* * *

Back at the Dennison household, Max and Allison were completely unaware of the beacon the book was emitting as they read a page.

"'Only a circle of salt can protect thy victims from my power'..." Allison read. That would certainly be useful. "Think that could be used against Heartless, too?"

This earned a shrug in reply. Across the room, Binx slowly began to wake up as he stretched, but his green, feline eyes shot open upon seeing the two peering into the dreadful book. He pounced off the bed and forced the book shut.

"That book must stay shut!" he exclaimed.

"We were just trying to help you..." Allison explained.

"Well, don't! Nothing good can come from this book!" Binx shook his head.

It was then Max had remembered something. "Wait a second, Clair's a mage, right? Maybe she could help Binx!"

Allison's eyes widened. "You're right!" she realized before she and Max scrambled out of the bedroom, leaving Binx and Dani alone.

Max poked his head into his parents' room, but saw that they still weren't home. "Guess they must be having a really good time, over there..." he said to himself as they made their way downstairs. However, they came across the sight of the teammates resting, with some of them even sleeping close to each other.

"Um... maybe it can wait till the morning..." Allison remarked, deciding that it would be best not to disturb them.

Max smirked, giving a nod of agreement before they slipped past them into the kitchen, whistling casually. He then began to search through the cabinets, eventually finding a can of salt. "Ta-da." he smirked, presenting it to her. Allison checked out the back of it, prompting him to ask, "What does it say?"

"It says that forming a circle of salt can protect you against zombies, witches, and old boyfriends." she said, joking on the last part.

"What about new boyfriends?" Max smiled. The two shared a look before they began to lean closer to each other, close enough to kiss...

... but a sudden crash from upstairs made them pause. The new couple was confused for a moment, but then their eyes widened in realization. "Dani!" Max gasped, scrambling out of the kitchen with Allison following close behind. The eldest Dennison placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, shaking it quickly. "Guys! Wake up!"

The sound of him yelling was enough to wake up the group in the living room. Clair sat up with a gasp as Chase jerked awake. "I didn't do it!" he slurred.

Anne's eyes shot open as she realized she was resting her head atop of something... which happened to be Dylan. Both of them blushed before they sat up straight. "W-What's the matter?" Anne asked, trying to get her blush to go down.

"There was some kind of noise coming from upstairs..." Allison told them. That was enough to get the group up and moving as they followed Max and Allison up the stairs quickly.

However, as they stepped into Max's room, there was nothing in sight, but something was missing. "The book's gone!"

Realizing something was wrong, Allison kept the salt close to her.

"Binx? Dani?" Sora called.

Max headed over to where Dani was sleeping, reaching to pull the blanket off. "Dani, wake up-"

Suddenly, to their surprise, Sarah was under the covers as she sat up, grinning. "Trick or treat!"

Everyone tensed as they got ready to fight, but then Mary and Winifred stepped out of the closet with Dani as a hostage, the spellbook, and a bag that had something squirming in it, which had to be Binx.

"Looking for this?!"

"You?! How are you still alive?!" Sora gasped, summoning his Keyblade as Donald and Goofy got their weapons ready as well.

Winnie smirked. "Foolish boy." she scoffed before opening the book, sending out a blast of magic at him. He had little time to react as it slammed into him, sending him crashing into the wall. Max tried to rescue Dani, only to be blasted back into his drum set.

Thinking quickly, Allison used the salt to create a circle around her.

"Salt... what a clever white witch!" Winifred sneered. "But it won't save thy friends! Come, sisters! The candle's magic is almost spent!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Jason charged forward, but skidded to a halt when Winifred grabbed Dani. He realized that if he tried anything, then Dani would possibly get hurt.

"Ah, ah, ah... wouldn't want anything to happen to the child, would we...?" she smirked as she and Mary started dragging Dani up the stairs while Sarah stuck her tongue out at the group. Winifred even called forth a pair of Shadows to attack the group as they left. Dani kicked and screamed the whole way as the sisters blasted a hole in the roof, flying out of it on their replacement brooms.

"DANI!" Allison, Clair, Chase, and Anne exclaimed. The pair of Shadows crawled towards them, but Anne quickly whacked one away with her Keyblade while Donald zapped the other with a Thunder spell, destroying it. Dylan finished off the other Heartless with a strike from his sword.

Sora sat up with a wince, pushing himself up as he went to help Max with Allison and Kairi.

"W-Where's Dani...?" he groaned, slowly recovering from the blow.

"They took her!"

Max's eyes widened in horror. "WHAT?!"

Winifred cackled wickedly as she and her sisters flew through the night sky. "Use thy voice, Sarah! Fill the sky! Bring the little brats to die!"

The blonde witch opened her mouth and began to sing a hauntingly beautiful song that seemed to echo all over Salem.

 _"Come little children_

 _I'll take thee away_

 _Into a land of enchantment_

 _Come little children_

 _The time's come to play_

 _Here in my garden of magic..."_

Upon hearing her enchanting voice, dozens of children and teenagers throughout Salem were hypnotized and were now slowly walking through the streets with a glazed look in their eyes as they followed the sound of her voice.

Back in the house, the group scrambled to the new hole in the roof as they peered out it. Nash covered his ears upon realizing that Sarah was singing and gestured for the others to do the same. This must have been why he felt dizzy before.

"Hey! Hey, you guys! Don't listen to her!" Max warned the children in the street, frantically waving his arms to try and get their attention.

"It's a trap!" Anne added. However, the children were too entranced to hear them as they continued to walk towards the direction of the Sanderson house.

Allison's eyes then widened. "Wait a minute... Winifred said that the candle's magic was almost spent, and dawn approaches."

"That's right! The story said that the black flame candle would only bring them back for one night on Halloween!" Donald remembered.

"And unless they can steal the lives of children, they'll be dead at sunrise!" the blonde teen finished.

"Then we just need to stall them!" Sora told them.

"But how do we make the sun come up?" Max asked, but then his eyes wandered over to car parked in the driveway. "I got it!"

He rushed down the stairs with the group following close behind as he grabbed a couple items, as well as the keys to the car. "How's that gonna help?" Nash asked.

"Just wait and see!"

They rushed out the door and to the car. Before they piled inside, Jason, Aurora, Clair, Sora, and Donald tried to stop the children from walking to their deaths, but they were too hypnotized to listen. Jason even tried holding a teen in place, but they wrenched out of his grip.

"Guys, come on!" Dylan called from inside the car. Reluctantly, the five piled in. It was a tight squeeze, but they all managed to get into the car. Max pulled out of the driveway, careful not to hit any of the kids passing by as he started to drive down the road slowly.

"Come on! Out of the way!" he yelled, honking the horn as he had to drive at a slow pace so he wouldn't accidentally hit anyone.

* * *

Sarah flew down to the front door of their cottage, smiling as she got off the broom. "They're coming!"

"Excellent!" Winifred cackled, ignoring Binx's protests as the bag he was in was held over the fireplace. "Soon, I shall suck out the lives of the children, and I shall be young and beautiful again forever..."

Dani, who had been tied to the chair, glared at her. "It doesn't matter how young or old you are! You sold your soul! You're the ugliest thing that's ever lived, and you know it!" she declared bravely.

The eldest of the Sandersons growled furiously. "You will be the first to die..." she decided, snapping her fingers as a pair of Heartless materialized. "Keep an eye on that brat." she ordered as she walked over to the larger cauldron, then spat into the potion, turning it green and completing it. She smirked as she got the large wooden spoon, scooping some of the life potion.

"Dani, don't drink it!" Binx warned desperately.

"Come on, open up-" Mary tried to force Dani to open her mouth, but the little girl bit her in retaliation. "OW! She bit my finger..."

Sarah tried, but the same thing happened. Winifred sneered with a crazed look in her eye as she prepared to force Dani to drink the potion when Max and Sora burst inside.

"Prepare to die, again!" Max declared as Sora readied his Keyblade.

"You! You have no power, here!" Winnie scoffed.

Jay's eyes lit up. "Hey! Hollywood, Spike! Help us out here!" he begged. Neither of the two paid attention to him as they focused their attention on the witches.

"That might be true, but there's a power greater than that, and that's knowledge!" Max said. "And there's something I know that you don't!"

"And what is that, _dude_?" Winifred deadpanned, earning laughs from her sisters.

Max smirked as he and Sora exchanged a look. Time to start the plan. "Daylight Savings Time."

The witches laughed mockingly, but then a red light shone through the windows, causing them to gasp. The sun!

"No!" Winnie gasped, shielding herself as Mary and Sarah cried out, each of them collapsing to the ground as they thought they were dying. Sora and Max exchanged a high five before they rushed to help Dani. However, the Heartless that were guarding her leapt at them. Sora got in front of Max, slashing through a Soldier before it could attack either of them.

"Sora, watch out!" Max exclaimed as he saw the other Soldier try to catch Sora off guard. Sora's eyes widened as he quickly jumped back before it could scrape him with its claws, then stabbed it with Kingdom Key. He finished it off with a final swing, releasing the heart.

"Guys! Get me out of here!" Dani called. The two quickly untied the little girl.

"Are you okay? They didn't hurt you?" Max asked.

"I'm fine, I didn't drink it!"

"Good!" Sora nodded, then realized the bag Binx was in was still over the fire. "Oh man, Binx!"

"Hot cat! Hot cat! Hot cat!" Binx yelped from within the bag as Sora, Max, and Dani quickly untied it.

"We gotcha, buddy! Let's get outta here!"

"Wait, wait! Let us out of here!" Jay called to them as they ran by.

"Come on, Hollywood!" Ice added, hoping it would work. Max noticed his stolen shoes from earlier and snatched them right off the bully's feet.

"Tubular." he smirked at them before rushing off, but not before knocking over the cauldron, spilling the life potion.

Ice whined, thinking that they would never get out now.

"Spike! Spike, please don't leave us here!" Jay pleaded. Sora paused for a moment, then sighed as he pointed his Keyblade at Jay's cage. A small beam of light entered the lock, then a click was heard. The same process was repeated to the cage Ice was in, then both of the cages opened, freeing the captive teens.

Jay climbed out, nearly collapsing in relief. "Thank you!"

"You need to get outta here." Sora warned them, rushing to the door. "And the name is Sora!"

The two bullies scrambled past him and ran off into the night, eager to put as much distance between them and the witches as possible. Dani, however, paused. "Wait, I wanna see them turn to dust!" she said.

"There's no time for that, Dani!" Sora explained.

Over by the car, Allison was whistling as she and the rest of the team frantically gestured to the van, urging them to hurry up.

Dani paled as she realized the Sandersons would soon figure out the trick. "On second thought, hop in!" she yelled as she changed her mind, rushing to the van. Anne ripped the red paper off the headlights before they all got into the car together.

"Come on, come on, come on!" she exclaimed as Max pulled out of the drive as fast as he could, knocking over a display sign in the process. The tires squealed against the ground as they drove away.

Sora opened the bag, freeing Binx as the cat let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you! I was cooking in there!"

"What do we do now, guys?" Dylan asked as he dared to look out the back window, checking to see if anything was following them.

"The graveyard!" Binx spoke up. Max nodded, driving in the direction of the hallowed ground.

* * *

Back inside, the witches slowly opened their eyes, realizing that they were still there.

Sarah smiled joyously, grabbing a piece of her own hair. "I am alive!" she exclaimed with relief.

"They've tricked us again!" Winnie scowled.

"You're always right, Winnie." Mary praised.

"It's my curse! That, and you two." she deadpanned. "Get off me!"

The three sisters scrambled off the ground as Winifred eyed the candle that brought them back. "The candle's almost out!" She then peered into the overturned cauldron. "Look! There's just enough left for one child..." she smirked. "Get a vial!"

Mary and Sarah scrambled to find one, then Sarah held up a small one. "Found one!"

"Excellent!" Winifred grinned as she had Sarah hold it still before she carefully poured the last of the potion into the vial, securing it. "Now, to go after that little brat!"

"But Winnie, look!" Mary opened the doors, gesturing to the hypnotized children of Salem that were walking towards their home. "We've got plenty of children!"

"Winnie, we'll make more potion, because we have the book!" Sarah smiled, but her older sister gave her a look.

"We haven't the time! Besides, I want to get that little rat-faced kid that called me-"

Mary's eyes widened. "Don't say it!"

"Ugly?" Sarah asked bluntly, making Winifred whine as she slumped her shoulders.

"She really hurt my feelings!" she exclaimed as Sarah let her blow her nose into her hand. "You know, I've always wanted a child. I think I'll have one. ON TOAST!"

She whirled around and grabbed her broom, preparing to fly out.

"Winnie, didn't Maleficent say that if we got rid of that boy with the spiky hair and his friends, then she'd help us live past tonight?" Mary reminded.

"Of course! But first, the child!" Winnie declared before she, Mary, and Sarah flew off into the night.

* * *

"Guys, are they following us?" Max asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

Donald and Goofy dared to glance back, but saw nothing. "I think we're okay..."

The group let out a sigh of relief, but their moment was short lived as Winifred flew next to the van, laughing at Max through the driver's window. "Pull over! Let me see your driver's permit!"

"How do you even know what that is?!" Chase retorted.

Winifred tried to grab Max, but Allison, Dani, as well as anyone who was sitting close, tried to help him out as he tried to keep the van steady. The witch lost her grip, but tried to grab him again. "Resisting arrest?"

"Get off!" Max shoved her away as he stepped on the gas, speeding away as she landed in a pile of leaves.

They let out whoops, but then Anne gasped. "Heartless up ahead!"

There were a few Neoshadows in the road, but Max didn't stop. "Hold on!" he warned before he sped towards the Heartless, ramming the car into them before they could sink into the ground. The Heartless were knocked to the side as the car sped by before they vanished into wisps of dark smoke.

"Nice one!" Dylan praised.

They soon made it to the old graveyard, screeching to a halt as they arrived. Binx leapt out of the car as soon as the door opened. "Hurry!" he called as they rushed into the graveyard.

Nash and Max were the last ones to get through. As they shut the gate and turned to run, they ended up running into Billy Butcherson again.

"Oh, come on..." Nash muttered.

"Max!" Dani tried to rush over to help, but Allison, Clair, Chase, and Binx restrained her.

Max pulled out a pocketknife as he held it at Billy threateningly. "Run, Dani! Run! We'll catch up!"

Reluctantly, the group ran further into the graveyard while the two teenage boys faced the zombie. Nash grabbed a rock, preparing to throw it at Billy as Winifred floated outside the gate on her broom. "Billy! Kill him! Do it now! Then get me that child!"

Billy grabbed Max and forced the blade out of his hand. Nash's eyes widened before he prepared to chuck the rock at Billy, but to his surprise, instead of stabbing Max, he used the knife to cut open the stitches that kept his mouth shut. He coughed as dust and moths flew out of his mouth, much to Max and Nash's disgust.

He narrowed his eyes at Winifred as he took a deep breath, then spat out, "Wench!"

Winifred gasped as the walking corpse's eyes lit up, realizing that he could finally speak again, then glared at her. "Trollop! You bucktoothed, mop riding firefly from hell!" he insulted. He then grinned as he told Max, "I've been waiting to say that for centuries!"

"Say what you want, just don't breathe on me!" Max gagged as Billy released him.

"Did you ever have breath mints in your time?" Nash coughed.

"Billy! I killed you once! I shall do it again!" Winifred shrieked.

The zombie merely looked annoyed, waving her off before he, Max, and Nash headed deeper into the graveyard. "Come on, let's find your sister before she or any of those creatures of darkness does." he told Max.

The trio pushed old tree branches out of their way as they made their way through, eventually finding the rest of the team by a set of graves. Sora's eyes widened as he summoned his Keyblade. "Max, Nash, behind you!"

"Watch out!" Anne warned as she, Allison, Jason, and Donald ran to attack, but Max and Nash jumped in front of them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on! It's okay, he's on our side!" Max told them.

Sora blinked, then dismissed Kingdom Key. "Are you sure?"

Billy gave a nod. "Sorry about earlier." he apologized, much to their surprise as he realized that the stitches on his mouth were cut open. Max knelt down, unzipping a bag they brought along and pulled out the salt container.

"Dani will be safe within a circle of salt." Binx nodded.

Billy looked at his own grave and got an idea. "She'll be safe in there, too." he told them, then gently helped Dani down into it. "In you go..."

Allison spread out the salt, forming a circle around the grave as Max picked up a bat he had brought, practicing his swings as everyone got ready to fight. It was then Binx spotted the three sisters flying in the sky. "Here they come!"

Winifred gave an evil laugh as she eyed the group. "Billy, guard Dani!" Max told the zombie as he ran ahead.

"Max, Allison, spread out!" Binx ordered. "Sora, everyone, get ready!"

The eldest of the Sandersons flew lower, glaring at them. "Now, for the last time, prepare to meet thy doom!"

"We could say the same to you!" Max retorted, swinging at her with his bat, but missed. He tried again, but she caught it before it could hit her, tugging it out of his hands.

"Alright, enough is enough!" Sora declared as he got into his usual fighting stance. "It's time to end this!"

"I agree. Sisters!" Mary and Sarah flew to Winnie's side before Mary made the first move, swooping down at them as she tried to grab Clair, who ducked down to avoid her. She then swung her Keyblade at her, managing to hit the vacuum she was flying on and caused her to spin around.

While she was spinning, Sora jumped off of a tilted gravestone and hit her with his Keyblade.

Sarah attempted to ram her makeshift broom into Chase, who simply sped out of the way. "Nice try." he told her before focusing, casting Thunder on the least bright of the three sisters. She let out a cry of surprise as she got shocked, her hair becoming very frizzy as she twitched a bit.

"Owie..."

Winifred then shot a bolt of green lightning at Anne, who quickly blocked it with her Keyblade. This annoyed the redheaded witch as she then created an orb of magic, shooting it at the girl. Anne paled before she dove to the side to avoid getting hit by it, doing a somersault in the process.

Another ball of magic was shot towards Aurora, who managed to deflect it as it hit Mary instead, who let out a cry of surprise.

Kairi then leapt up and began to deliver a combination of strikes to Winnie, who cried out on each hit. The witch then swiped at Kairi, but missed. Kairi then focused, shooting an orb of light at her. "Faith!" she cried out.

That made Winifred let out a yell of pain as it hit her. "That does it!" she yelled, shooting magic from her fingertips at her before Kairi could react. Goofy leapt in front of the Princess of Heart with his shield to deflect the magic.

"Donald!"

"Right!" Donald charged forward, holding his staff high as he cried out at the top of his lungs, "FIRA!'

Sarah and Winifred had to fly out of the way to avoid getting hit by the large fireball. They certainly didn't want to be burnt for the second time in a row that night.

When Mary flew low enough, Dylan swung at her as electricity coursed through his sword. He missed, but the lightning zapped Mary. Jason then threw his Keyblade at Sarah, who couldn't fly out of the way in time as it hit her, causing the mop she was flying on to do backflips as she clung onto it tightly to keep from falling onto the ground.

Winifred shot another blast of magic at them, but Clair quickly held out her hand, casting Reflect as she managed to deflect it, making it hit a nearby tree instead. Sora used Flowmotion, hooking his Keyblade onto a branch as he spun around, sending himself propelling straight at the leader of the three sisters, slamming his Keyblade into her. The witch yelled as she was sent spinning from that as Sora landed next to the grave Dani was in as Billy guarded her. "You guys okay?"

Dani nodded, watching as Sora rushed back into the fray. Sarah swooped down at Allison, but was forced away when she tossed a handful of salt at her.

Anne threw her Keyblade at Mary, nearly knocking her off the vacuum as her Keyblade returned to her hand. Aurora then ran past her, shooting a Blizzard spell at Winifred before she could even attack, freezing one of her hands. Winifred's eyes widened as she tried to break her hand free while she used the other to hold onto the broom.

"Now!"

Jason, Sora, Clair, and Dylan all jumped towards her with their weapons ready, slamming them into her. The witch yelled in pain, trying to block the attacks, but they kept coming.

Winnie managed to break her hand out of the ice, shaking it now that it felt numb. She noticed Dani within the circle of salt and narrowed her eyes as she saw Billy. She shot out a bolt of green lightning, hitting a branch and causing it to fall, nearly hitting Billy.

"Go to hell!" Billy spat.

"Oh, I've been there before, thank you." Winifred retorted without missing a beat. "I found it quite lovely!"

Billy stood his ground as Winifred swooped down at him, determined to keep Dani safe from her, but his head was knocked off his body for the second time in a row that night. He let out a cry of surprise as his head rolled away.

"Billy!" Nash gasped, but had to dive down as Mary swooped down towards him. Allison shook the salt container, but realized it was empty, so she had to dive down as well as Sarah made a swipe at her.

"Hey, buckteeth!" Jason insulted as he jumped up, slamming his Keyblade onto Winifred. She let out a yell as she was nearly knocked off her broom.

It was then Max realized something as he found Billy's empty grave. "Where's Dani?!"

Everyone's eyes widened as they noticed that she was indeed gone. Unknown to them, while they were all fighting the witches, Dani had climbed out of the protective circle of salt to help Billy find his severed head.

Winifred smiled evilly as she saw that Dani was now vulnerable, swooping down and snatching Dani up as she screamed.

"DANI!"

"Bye bye, big brother!" Winifred laughed as she flew while keeping Dani hostage. Billy, who had managed to put his head back on, scrambled after her with the rest of the team as they gave chase to the evil witch.

"Let her go!" Anne yelled, glaring at her.

"Hold on, Dani!" Binx exclaimed as he leapt onto a tree, running up it as he made it to a branch that was high enough. He failed to protect one little sister, he wasn't going to fail this time!

"This'll each you to call people ugly!" Winnie sneered as she pulled out the life potion, taking the cork off as she prepared to force Dani to drink it. However, Binx leapt onto her, clawing and biting at her as he knocked the potion out of her hand. Max dove down and managed to catch it before it hit the ground.

Winifred then threw Binx off her, sending him tumbling towards the ground before he painfully bounced off of a boulder.

"Binx!" Chase gasped, then prepared to rush at the witch. However, he froze as he realized that she still had Dani.

"Give me that vial! Now, boy!"

"Let her go or I'll smash it!" Max yelled.

"Do that and she dies!" Winifred threatened.

Max narrowed his eyes, taking a third option as he, to everyone's shock, gulped down the potion himself.

"Max, NO!" Dani yelled in horror. Allison tried to rush forward, but Billy and Aurora had to restrain her.

Max threw the vial to the ground. "Now you have no choice! You'll have to take me!" he yelled. Winnie snarled, but reluctantly lowered herself until she was eye to eye with Max.

"What a fool to give thy life... for thy sister's." she spat, letting Dani go before grabbing Max, lifting him up into the air.

Max glared at her defiantly. "I bet you would do the same for yours!"

"Ha! Not likely!"

Billy, Sora, and Allison helped up Dani, holding her protectively as an aura began to surround Max. Sarah and Mary smiled eagerly as Winifred tried to suck away his life force, but he forced the witch's face away from him.

Jason prepared to throw his Keyblade, but Sora called out, "No, you might hit Max!"

The oldest of the Dennison siblings managed to break free, but nearly fell as he grabbed onto the broom. Winifred struggled to try again, but Max pushed her back. "Sisters!"

"Winnie, I'm coming!" Mary called as she flew towards her, but Billy, Dani, Allison, Dylan, and Goofy grabbed onto the power cord that was dangling, forcing the chubbiest of the three witches to stay put. Sarah flew over to help Mary as she took her hand, trying to pull her away while the other five struggled to keep her in place.

Allison got an idea. "Guys! Let go!"

Immediately, they let go of the cord, sending Mary and Sarah flying into the air. While Winifred was distracted by the sight, Max broke free, but both he and Winifred fell to the ground. Max landed on his back while Winnie faceplanted.

With a groan, Winnie pushed herself off the ground, spitting out some grass. Seeing Max nearby, she smirked as she grabbed him by the front of his shirt, lifting him up as she started to suck his life force away... but stopped when she noticed that there was smoke coming from her feet. "Huh?"

She blinked, then noticed a sight she had hoped she wouldn't see before she had sucked away the life of the children in Salem: the sunrise.

She paled as she looked down at the ground, gasping as she realized she was standing on _hallowed ground._ At the same time, Max looked down as well, realizing what was happening, too.

As her feet began to turn to stone, Winifred let out a scream before she turned into a statue. Max was relieved, but knew he wasn't out of trouble yet as he struggled to break free from the stone hands. He did, but his shirt tore in the process as he landed on the ground.

Sarah knew their time was up. "Winnie... goodbye!" she exclaimed before she exploded, turning into dust.

"Uh oh..." Mary gulped as the same thing began to happen to her. She gave a little wave. "Buh-bye..."

She exploded as well. Moments later, the statue of Winifred exploded in a burst of green dust.

It was done... the witches were finally dead.

Nearby, Binx lifted his head, letting out a weak little meow before he became still, closing his eyes.

Dani rushed over to Max with the rest of the group, checking on him. "Are you okay?!"

"I... I think so..." Max said, shocked he actually managed to survive that.

"You saved my life..."

"Well, I had to. I'm your big brother." Max joked with a smile.

His little sister laughed. "I love you, jerkface."

"I love you, too." Max then hugged her as she hugged him back. Everyone was relieved to know that it was finally over. Sora held out his hand to Max, helping him up.

"That was a close one, huh?" he chuckled, patting him on the shoulder.

"Too close for comfort." Max joked back. Billy began to climb back into his grave as everyone gathered together, giving them all a smile of appreciation.

"Bye, Billy. Have a nice sleep." Dani waved.

Max smiled. "And Billy? Thanks."

The living corpse gave a nod, then let out a yawn as he flopped down in his grave. That earned a few chuckles from some of the group.

It was then Clair noticed something. "Hey, where's Binx?" she asked, noticing the talking black cat was nowhere in sight.

"Binx?" Dani called as they began to look around for their friend. Chase was the first to find him, seeing him lying next to his sister's grave. He smiled with relief and crouched down to him.

"Hey, buddy. Don't ya wanna take a nap somewhere else?" he asked, but he got no response from the cat. His smile faltered a bit as he rose an eyebrow, gently petting his head. "Binx...?"

Once again, no response. He began to grow concerned when he noticed that Binx felt rather cold. The teen then gasped. "Oh no..."

Clair covered her mouth, gasping in horror as a tear welled up in her eye. "No..."

Binx... was dead.

Dani fell to her knees. "No!" she cried out, hugging Binx's body. "Binx, wake up! Please, wake up!"

"This... this can't be happening..." Sora whispered as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Goofy whimpered, starting to cry as Donald sadly handed him a handkerchief to blow his nose with.

A tear rolled down Anne's cheek as she knelt down to them, saddened by the loss of their friend. Dylan wrapped his arms around her to try and comfort her, but he looked just as devastated. Jason was shocked, shaking his head. "But... but he said that he couldn't die... how...?"

Aurora didn't say a word, but looked down, hiding her emotions as everyone mourned the death of their friend.

"Please... come back like last time..." Dani begged.

"Dani... don't feel sad for me..."

The group looked up in shock, seeing a transparent barefoot teenage boy with dark blonde hair tied back wearing a white cotton shirt with brown trousers. Jason blinked, rubbing his eyes to see if he was seeing things.

"Binx... i-is that you?" Dani gasped.

Binx smiled, looking like he couldn't believe it himself. "Yeah... the witches are dead... my soul is finally free." he told them happily as he held his hand out. Surprisingly, Dani's hand didn't pass through as he held it gently. "You freed me, Dani... thank you." He then looked up at the rest of the team with a grateful smile. "Thank you, everyone... and Max? Thanks for lighting the candle."

The teen smiled, giving him a nod. "No problem..."

"Thackery?" A little girl's voice filled the air. A transparent girl wearing a bonnet and a nightgown looked around. "Thackery Binx!" she called, then smiled as she saw her older brother, walking over to a set of gates.

Binx's eyes lit up. "It's Emily!" he gasped. He then knelt down, whispering into Dani's ear, "I shall always be with you..."

Dani tearfully smiled as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. He then stood up, facing the group. "Good luck on your travels, everyone..." he told them before heading towards the gates. He paused, turning back to wave goodbye to them. Everyone waved back to their friend, knowing he was at peace.

"Thackery Binx, what took thee so long?" Emily Binx asked as she took his hand, walking through the gates with him.

"I'm sorry, Emily. I had to wait 300 years for a _virgin_ to light the candle." he told her with a chuckle as they vanished, heading off to the afterlife together.

Sora took Kairi's hand, who gave him a smile as she wiped away a couple of his tears.

"So long, buddy..." Max said softly, then knelt down and gave Dani a hug. Anne and Dylan exchanged a look, exchanging sad smiles.

Chase knelt down to Binx's corpse. "... we should bury him, guys. We shouldn't just leave him here."

This earned nods of agreement from several of them. "Does... anybody have a shovel?" Allison asked. Realizing they didn't, Clair pulled out one of her spellbooks, flipping through the pages until she eventually came across one. As she read the words, she focused and a moment later, a shovel appeared out of nowhere.

Dylan took it, finding a good spot next to Emily's grave before he began to dig until there was a hole deep enough for their friend. Allison gently picked up Binx's feline body before lowering it into the grave. Dylan began to refill the hole, letting out a sigh once it was finished. Sora found a large rock and placed it at the head of the grave.

Clair looked at another page in her book before she held her hand out, shooting an orb of magic at the rock. The moment it hit the flat part of the rock, words started to form.

 _'Here lies Thackery Binx, a beloved brother, friend, and cat.'_

Chase pulled out the black cat keychain he had gotten earlier and placed it on the grave. "Rest in peace, Binx... you earned it." he smiled sadly as he stood back up. They began to leave, but a flash of light from the keychain caught their attention.

"Guys?" Dani gasped. The group saw the keychain slowly rise into the air as it shot out a beam, revealing a Keyhole.

"What's that...?" Max asked.

Clair decided to take this one as she held out her Keyblade, pointing it at the Keyhole as a beam of light entered it. A moment later, a click was heard as the Keyhole disappeared in another flash of light as the keychain slowly fell back onto the grave.

"What just happened?" Allison asked curiously.

"A new pathway has opened." Kairi answered, earning looks of confusion from the three. "It means that it's time for us to go, now."

Dani's face fell. "Will you come back to visit?" she asked.

Sora gave her a smile and knelt down to her. "Of course, we will." he promised. Dani smiled at that before hugging him. Sora chuckled and hugged her back before standing back up.

"Stay safe out there." Max told him as he shook his hand.

"Just don't go lighting any more candles, okay?" Sora joked. Max just smiled and shook his head.

"We'll see you later." Allison told them, waving goodbye to them as she took Max's hand. Together, she, Max, and Dani left the graveyard.

The Keyblade wielders decided to do the same, leaving the hallowed ground as well. Once they were out, they gave their friends one final wave before heading off to where they parked the Gummi Ship.

As they walked through the streets, they noticed that the children were returning to their homes now that the spell was broken. The adults at the party were finally coming out of the town hall, looking very exhausted.

After a moment, Chase spoke up. "You know what, guys? If I ever get a cat... I'm naming him Binx."

Clair smiled at him for that.

Soon, they had made it to the outskirts of town, finding the Gummi Ship right where they parked it. The platform opened up, allowing them to come inside. As they boarded the ship, their clothes immediately changed back to normal as they found Riku and Lea fast asleep, with Lea snoring as he leaned back in his seat.

"We're back, guys." Anne announced. Lea jerked awake as Riku yawned, stretching as everyone got into their seats. Nash had to hold onto something since there still wasn't a spot for him to sit in.

"What'd we miss...?" Lea asked as he sat up, letting out a yawn as well."

Sora sat down in the pilot's seat, starting the ship back up. "A lot, actually." he replied. "You see, we met this brother and sister..."

The Gummi Ship then took off into the sky, leaving the world behind as Sora continued to explain the little adventure they had.

* * *

In the streets of Salem, a still tied up Pete slowly came to. "Oh, my achin' head..." he groaned, shaking his head. He attempted to get back to his feet, but found it difficult to do so. He then realized that he was tied up and let out a groan of annoyance. "You've gotta be kiddin' me!"

The chubby anthropomorphic cat noticed a flash of green and black. Pete paled as the flames died down, smiling nervously at the figure glaring down at him. "Hehe... hey, Maleficent... a little help?"

"Imbecile."


	35. Magic and Revelations

**Special thanks to DinoWriter23 for helping out with this.**

* * *

The Gummi Ship soared in the lanes between as most of the group remained silent.

Riku didn't know what to think now that he had heard about everything that had happened in Salem. They encountered witches, had to face them several times until they were finally defeated... it must have been quite a night for them.

Anne quietly went through the playlist on her music device, finding another new song. To her surprise, it was the song the witches had sang at the party. She braced herself, but to her relief, didn't feel like she was under a spell or anything like that. She sighed as she leaned back into her seat as she listened to her music through her headphones.

Dylan had fallen asleep in his chair nearby. She still remembered when she had fallen asleep resting her head atop of him earlier, prompting her to blush lightly. It also made her think of when she ended up being held in Dylan's arms at the party when someone bumped into her. Her heartbeat quickened at the thought of that. Why was it doing that?

She hesitantly glanced at Dylan, then looked away.

Clair and Chase, in the meantime, were currently chatting with each other quietly. Ever since their conversation in the Dennison living room, they had been talking a bit more, staying closer to one another. This did not go unnoticed by Jason, as he had been keeping an eye on them ever since. After all, Clair _was_ his cousin that had just accepted a date, and he wanted to make sure that Chase wasn't trying to do anything.

A sudden beeping on the monitor drew everybody's attention. "We're approaching Radiant Garden, guys." Sora announced. Upon hearing this, everyone got back into their seats as the descent began. The ride was thankfully smooth, unlike when they first left Radiant Garden.

The Gummi Ship had soon landed in the town, drawing the attention of several citizens as they recognized the neon colored ship. As soon as the ship was parked, Donald called, "Alright, everybody out!"

Anne reached over to Dylan, placing a hand on his shoulder and gently shaking it. "Hey, Dyl? We're there..."

The black haired teen shifted before slowly opening his eyes. When he realized that it was Anne waking him up, he fought down a blush that threatened to creep up on his face as the memory of her falling asleep on him popped up. "Um... okay."

Chase had noticed the two's expressions and hid a smirk as they got off the ship one by one. Since Nash and Aurora had not seen Radiant Garden yet, they had taken a moment to observe the area before them.

"Welcome to Radiant Garden, you two." Goofy smiled as he walked past them.

Sora took a moment to look around. "Think everyone's at Merlin's?"

"Could be. Why don't we check?" Riku suggested, walking ahead of them. The group followed him, finding themselves walking through the marketplace. Anne recognized a few of the vendors from the last time they were here, including the one who had given her the elixir she had yet to use.

Nash blinked when he saw a small duck wearing a red sweater and red cap that was running one of the stands. "Hey, you! Wanna buy some potions?" he called to him eagerly.

"Um... I don't have anything to pay with..." Nash said.

"Huey!" Donald said with a smile as he walked over to the stand.

"Oh hey, Uncle Donald!"

"Uncle?!" Anne, Dylan, Chase, Clair, Jason, Aurora, and Nash asked with surprise.

The duck turned to face them. "He's my nephew." Donald explained to them. "He and his brothers, Dewey and Louie, used to run shops here when the first Organization XIII was attacking. Speaking of that, why are you back here?"

"We got bored, so when we heard Uncle Scrooge was coming back here to work on his business, we asked him to take us with him!" Huey explained.

Donald placed his hands on his hips. "And you didn't think of telling me before you left?" he said with a scolding look.

Huey smiled sheepishly while Sora and Goofy exchanged a look, chuckling. "Um... what's that, Dewey? I'm coming!" Huey dashed away, quickly putting a 'closed' sign on the desk as he rushed off.

"Huey!" Donald squawked, then groaned, shaking his head. "Let's just go, guys..."

As they continued their trek, Anne turned to face the group while walking backwards. "So we just need talk to Cid about getting some extra seats installed into the ship?" she asked.

"That, and get some more training in." Sora said, nodding towards Nash. "Besides, he could learn how to fight, here."

"Great, so we got a plan, then-" Anne turned around, only to walk straight into something with a clang, falling straight to the ground. A few members of the group cringed at the sight. She groaned as she held her forehead, wincing while Dylan knelt down to check on her.

"Are you okay?"

"What hit me...?" she winced as he helped her sit up.

Sora looked at what she had ran into and blinked with surprise. "Huh?" he asked out loud. Anne shook her head once the pain had vanished and looked up as well, blinking as she saw a tall, blue box standing before them.

"What the...?" she trailed off as she stumbled up to her feet with Dylan's help. The two exchanged a look before they examined the box before them. They saw that it had a set of doors with a sigh above it that read 'Police Box'. Atop the police box, it had a sort of light atop of it.

"What's this doing here?" Sora asked out loud, raising an eyebrow while the rest had just as curious looks on their faces as well. "It wasn't here last time..."

Donald noticed the door handles and decided to try and take a peek inside, but the police box was locked. "Ah, phooey." he grumbled.

"We can check it out, later, Donald." Riku said as he noticed the headquarters not too far ahead. Dylan, Anne, Sora, Nash, Chase, and Clair's gazes lingered on it for a moment before they turned their attention back towards the building as they approached it. They could hear some faint clamoring coming from inside.

"Oh man, this is gold here! Where have you been all my life?"

"Oh, just off travelling about, seeing worlds."

"Uh... should we come back later?" Nash asked, taking a step back.

Sora just shrugged before knocking on the door. The clamoring came to a stop, but they heard a couple clatters before Leon opened the door. He gave a light smirk, nodding. "Sora, everyone. Welcome back."

"Sora's back?!" Cid could be heard from inside. "Well, don't just stand there, let 'em in!"

Leon rolled his eyes slightly, but let the team inside. He rose an eyebrow when he noticed Aurora and Nash with them. "I don't think I've seen you, before." he noted.

"Leon, this is Nash and Aurora. They joined us not too long ago." Anne explained.

Cid turned away from his computer, smirking as he chomped on the toothpick he had between his teeth. "Well, howdy, y'all. Welcome back."

"Hey, Cid." Sora waved, but then noticed a man standing next to the blonde haired man. He had brown hair that seemed to spike up and wore a pinstripe suit with converse shoes. "Who's he?"

"You must be the people Merlin, Leon, Cid, Mickey, and Yuffie have been telling me about." the man smiled as he took a step forward, holding his hand out to Sora, which he shook. "Hello. I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" Chase questioned curiously.

The man, now known as the Doctor, grinned. "Just the Doctor."

Riku blinked with surprise. "Wait, the King was here?" he asked with surprise.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah, he said he had something important to tell you all, but you were gone by the time he got here."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy exchanged a look of confusion. What was so important that the King had to tell them about?

Just then, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching as Merlin came in holding a stack of books. "So, Cid, Doctor, how long have you two been talking about Gummi-" He cut himself off when he saw the group standing in the room.

Clair smiled, giving a wave to the wizard. "Hello, Merlin."

"Goodness! Clair, Sora, everyone! You're back!" he said with surprise as he set the books down on a table. "How has your little journey been going?"

"It's going alright. We've gained a couple new team members, but we've also ran into a few bumps along the road. Our Gummi Ship crashed, we had to face a bunch of Shadows that could turn into a swarm, we ran into Xigbar from the Organization..." Sora listed, deciding to leave out the part where Jason and Aurora had fought each other in the Olympus Coliseum.

"And we've just faced three witches that were brought back from the dead." Kairi added.

Merlin gave a nod, then turned to Clair. "How is your magic coming along?"

"It's going great, Merlin. Though I'm still learning and could use a bit more practice." Clair admitted.

"She's done some pretty cool spells lately." Chase praised, prompting Clair to blush lightly.

"Excellent, you're making great progress." Merlin nodded in approval.

Riku decided to speak up. "If it's alright with you, can we get some more training in here?"

"By all means, go right ahead! I'd like to see just how far this lot has come from the last time they've trained." the sorcerer said as he gestured to Anne, Chase, Dylan, Clair, and Jason. He motioned for them, as well as Aurora, to follow him down the stairs to the room they had trained in before.

Yuffie then walked inside just as the group of six headed downstairs. "Squall, I just got done on my patrol. No Heartless attacks for the past few- Sora! You and the others are back!"

"That's 'Leon', Yuffie." Leon corrected with annoyance, but Yuffie ignored him and walked straight over to their friends.

"How've you been, guys?" she asked cheerfully.

"Pretty good." Sora replied as he folded his arms behind his head.

"How about you?" Kairi asked.

"Just about the same. Things are kind of calm at the moment, which kind of worries Squall." the ninja remarked. "Cid's made friends with the Doctor over there and they've been chatting over just about anything that concerns Gummi stuff. How's your journey coming along?"

"We've visited several worlds already and found a couple new teammates." Sora then remembered the issue concerning Nash. "Oh yeah! Almost forgot. Nash over there, he can't fight. So we were wondering if you could help us train him with some kind of weapons to help him get used to fighting?"

As they conversed, Nash had wandered around and was examining the stuff that was lying about in the room. He saw a bunch of books, including one on a display table that read 'Winnie the Pooh'. He found a couple pencils lying about, so he picked them up and out of boredom, started to twirl them around in his hands.

Yuffie and Leon had noticed this and saw he could twirl them surprisingly well. Not once did he fumble or drop them. That gave Leon an idea as he approached the teenager. "Nash, was it?"

Nash paused spinning the pencils, setting them down. "Yeah."

"You don't know how to fight?"

The blue eyed teen sighed, slumping his shoulders. "No..."

"Then we can show you how. Follow me."

* * *

Down in the large room that Merlin had them practice in, the group was getting ready as he tapped his wand on the wall. Like before, the furniture in the room had risen up, beginning to float around them. Aurora blinked, but shook her head and prepared to fight.

Chase reacted first, speeding out of the way as he concentrated. "Thunder!"

Merlin nodded in approval as a cabinet twitched in the air from the shock. Anne blocked a chair that had sped at her, keeping on her feet as she shot a Blizzard spell at the chair, freezing it as it clattered to the ground.

A table zipped towards Clair, who held out her hand and cast Reflect, making it bounce off the barrier.

"Excellent!" Merlin called.

Dylan's sword crackled as lightning coursed through it as he attacked a lamp, zapping it as it flew around the room in a frenzy. Jason had to duck to avoid getting hit by it. "Sorry!" Dylan yelled a quick apology before jumping back into the fray. Jason jumped back to avoid getting hit by a couch as he focused, casting a strong Fire spell as it incinerated the piece of furniture.

Aurora ducked her head as a steaming kettle flew over her, then cast Blizzard, freezing the teapot as it clattered to the ground.

As a large, comfortable looking chair flew towards Chase, he stayed in place until the last second, dashing to the side, causing it to crash into the wall. It was knocked off balance by that, but soon recovered as prepared to ram into Chase. He concentrated, remembering the training from before. "Blizzard!"

Though magic was not his forte, he did manage to freeze the chair solid. "Yeah!"

Clair smiled. "Great job, Chase!" she called. He gave a grin and a thumbs up in reply.

Anne used a Fire spell on a teacup, causing the tea within the cup to boil.

"Is it time for tea?" Chase joked.

Clair smiled, shaking her head at the joke.

Merlin was watching the teens very closely as they practiced. Clair tried to say some spells, but messed up the pronunciation. Some of the magical energy flickered, then vanished.

"That's alright, you'll get there with practice." Merlin told her. She was a little dejected, but she understood.

Merlin took a glance at the group, then nodded to himself. "Everyone." He clapped his hands to gain their attention, having the furniture stop zooming around the room for a moment. Once their eyes were on him, he began to speak. "I think it's time you've learned stronger versions of the basics that you've learned."

That surprised some of the teens in the room. "Seriously?" Anne asked with surprise.

"Yes. You'll encounter enemies who will be more resistant to the simpler versions of Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, and so on, so you'll need to know the stronger versions."

"Alright!" Chase cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

"How do we cast the spell, though?" Dylan asked.

"Remember the feelings you use when preparing to cast one? Use them again, but with a more stronger touch this time. Observe." He readied his wand. "Fira!"

A more powerful version of the fire spell came out.

Clair had remembered seeing Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Lea use that during some of the battles they were in.

"Now you try it."

Anne remembered what she was passionate about, so she tried to think of it in an even more stronger way than before. She held out her Keyblade, pointing it at a wooden chair. "Fira!"

A large fireball burst out and consumed the chair, incinerating it. Everyone could feel the heat of the flames from the attack.

Dylan's jaw dropped. "... whoa."

Chase grinned, nudging his brother playfully as he gave him a look, his eyes motioning towards Anne. Dylan shoved him away.

"Gri's beak, Anne. That was amazing!" Clair praised.

Anne was just as surprised by what she did. "Whoa..." she whispered.

Merlin smiled at her. "Well done! Now, everyone, you give it a try."

Clair decided to go next. She took a breath, focusing on her thought. A moment later, she cast the spell, sending a large fireball towards a floating cabinet. It hit the piece of furniture, which then hit Jason.

Clair gasped, covering her mouth as Jason was sent flying back. "Jason!"

Jason hit the floor with a groan, but he did push himself back up shortly after. He did glare at his cousin, though.

Clair looked very sheepish at the moment. "I'm sorry..."

Taking a breath, Jason said, "Just... be careful next time."

He then prepared to go next. Everyone in the room took several steps back, just in case. He frowned, realizing he didn't truly have any passions. The only thing that really got him going was thinking about his father, and... no. That's in the past. He didn't want to be anything like him.

"Jason...?" Clair asked as she noticed her cousin's face.

"I'm fine." He sighed, then tried to focus as he prepared himself. He thought about his training with Hercules. How he was told to listen to what his heart was saying...

He then realized he _did_ do that. Back in Salem. It started with grabbing the fake book, but then, in the store, helping that man. Something inside him knew that they couldn't let that man get in the witches' hands.

And just acting on instinct to save him... he realized now he enjoyed that. Helping others. Saving them.

With that thought in mind, he yelled, "Fira!"

A big fireball came from his Keyblade. t seemed stronger than the ones Anne or Clair had cast as it sped towards a nearby couch, making it catch aflame. The couch collapsed to the ground as it burnt to a crisp. Jason blinked at that, a bit surprised.

Clair's jaw dropped before she smiled. "Great job, Jason!"

Merlin smiled in agreement as he noticed something about Jason. Before, he hadn't had any luck with magic. Something must had happened during their little adventure. But he wasn't the same as when he first arrived. He seemed less stubborn and angry than before.

Jason then turned to the others. "Who's next?"

Aurora took a step forward. She closed her eyes for a moment, then cast the spell as well, sending a large fireball towards a lamp as it burnt.

"Well done." Merlin clapped his hands. "Now, on to the next one: Blizzara."

The sorcerer cast the spell, conjuring up a large cloud with ice as it flew over to a coat rack, freezing it solid. It even froze a chair that was near it.

Dylan whistled, impressed by that. It was definitely stronger than a standard Blizzard spell. Chase smirked, deciding to give it a try as he stepped forward. "Blizzara!" he cried out, holding his hand out... but only a small, cold cloud materialized. The goofiest of the brothers frowned at that. "Huh?" He tried it yet again, and this time, a slightly stronger one materialized. "Is the spell getting warm feet?" He smirked, glancing at the others in the room. "Get it? Warm feet? It's supposed to be cold... you know what? I'm not going to explain that joke."

Dylan shook his head and decided to try it out next. He was able to freeze a round table partially. Clair had better luck than the Enheart brothers did. She coated the entire table in ice, though it was pretty thing, and the ice cracked when it hit a cabinet. That surprised several of the teens.

"Hey, nice job, Clair." Chase told her.

"Yeah!" Anne praised, then decided to give it a try herself. She cast the spell, though not as well as Clair did, as it left part of the floor around them covered in ice. Anne found herself trying not to slip, as did Chase.

Aurora rolled her eyes as she went after her as she cast the spell as well, sending a large block of ice crashing into a lamp, shattering it.

"... whoa." Anne said, her eyes widening upon seeing that.

"Good, good..." Merlin nodded. "Now, try to cast this one. Thundara!"

Multiple, stronger lightning bolts rained down on the furniture, zapping them. However, a stray one ended up hitting Anne. "YEOUCH!" she screamed, twitching a bit before she fell over. A few of the team members cringed at the sight.

"Whoops... sorry." Merlin apologized. Anne sat up, her hair looking rather frizzy as she tried to shake it off.

"I-It's okay..." she coughed, trying to fix her hair as she made a mental note not to stand near someone when they cast that spell. Dylan unsheathed his sword as he prepared himself, focusing as the lightning that crackled on his blade seemed to grow stronger.

"Thundara!" he roared, holding his sword up in the air. Powerful bolts of electricity rained down on the group of furniture before him, leaving them twitching. Anne and Chase let out whoops seeing the display.

Clair gave it a go, concentrating as she held up her Keyblade and cast Thundara as well. Multiple bolts of lightning hit their targets. When it was Anne's turn, she held her gray and black Keyblade high as she imagined the lightning bolts shooting down. She then cast the spell and got a good result.

"Excellent!" Merlin called, happy with how they were faring with the training. "Now, onto Aerora. This will send more enemies flying, and it can also protect you." The sorcerer then waved his wand, causing a strong breeze to kick up around him. A couple items that were floating nearby got caught in the wind and ended up circling around him.

Aurora paused for a moment, readying herself as she cast the spell at a large, tall chair with a pair of smaller wooden ones floating nearby. They were all swept up into a strong current of air as they spun around in the air. As the breeze died down, the chairs collapsed unceremoniously to the floor. Jason cast the spell next, but nothing happened. He frowned and tried again. "Aerora!"

A strong gust of wind kicked up, blowing his hair back, as well as Merlin's beard, as a mini-tornado formed, scooping up a table and lamp as they twirled around. Merlin spluttered as he tried to push his beard back down. "Well done, Jason. Very well done." he praised once he had fixed his beard.

Dylan went next, managing to get good results as a few pieces of furniture were swept away.

Merlin moved onto the next spell, casting it as an example. "Magnera, a stronger version of Magnet, will pull in your enemies and deal continuous damage to them."

Chase focused as he tried to cast it, but he didn't have a good result. Dylan, however, fared better than his brother did as he managed to cast Magnera, creating an orb that drew in several pieces of furniture. Remembering what happened the last time they were training here, Chase zipped out of the way before he could be drawn in as well. He let out a sigh of relief at that while Clair, Dylan, and Anne chuckled.

As the spell died down, Clair went next, casting it quite well.

"Right. Now, I know you all know the Cure spell, but sometimes, that won't be strong enough to heal some injuries that are given by stronger enemies. But don't worry, this has a stronger version as well." he said, then flicked his wand. "Cura!"

Any bruises that Jason sustained from being hit by the cabinet earlier vanished as the stronger healing spell was cast. "When you use this, just focus on healing." Merlin explained. "Of course, there is a more powerful version than this one as well. It's called Curaga, the strongest healing spell. There's also Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, Aeroga, and Magnega. You'll be able to learn how to use them, soon. And I see that you've also learned about Reflect. It's quite useful to block certain attacks from hitting you. The stronger versions, Reflera and Reflega, shall protect you as well."

Clair focused for a moment, then cast the healing spell on Anne as well, healing any remaining injuries that the green eyed teen had. It was then Clair had remembered the spell that Riku had used back in Olympus. "Merlin? A while back when we were practicing, we saw Riku use a spell that had Anne stop in place."

"Ah, Stop. You see, there are more spells that can help you out in battle, if you choose to use them. There's Stop, Slow, Bind, and Confuse. Depending on what your facing, they can be quite effective. For example." Merlin waved his wand before shooting a blast of magic at the floating furniture. "Slow!"

Upon being hit, the furniture now levitated in the air at a slow pace. Chase whistled with surprise as he tapped a teapot that slowly floated by. "Now that's useful..."

"It is. I don't think you'd want to be hit by this, though." Merlin remarked at the speedster. "Now, there are enemies who will be immune to certain spells like these, so be careful." he told the group. "Now, I suppose that's enough for now." He held his wand up, using his magic to make the furniture settle back down on the floor. He then remembered something. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. Have you ever heard of summoning?"

That earned a couple looks of confusion from the group of teens. "What do you mean?" Anne asked.

"It's when you can summon an ally to help you out when you're in a pinch." he said as he held up a gem. "This is a summoning gem, and when it's used, it can call forth the one you're summoning and they shall help you out, but only for a limited amount of time. So use it well."

Chase took the gem, noticing it had a symbol of a magic lamp on it. "Who does this summon?"

"How do we call forth a summon?" Clair asked.

"You need to focus on it, ask for the one you are calling to give you strength, or you could call their name as you hold the gem. Then they will appear."

Chase looked at the gem, then smiled. "Mind if I give it a try?"

"Oh, not at all."

Everyone took a few steps back and Chase prepared to try the summon. "Give me strength!" he called as he held the gem up. A bright glow came from it, so he threw it up in the air as blue clouds surrounded it.

Fireworks came from the gem, as well as confetti, and what sounded like a fanfare as a red carpet rolled out from out of nowhere.

"And here he comes. The main star of this major motion film project. The former wish granting, semi-phenomenal nearly-cosmic powered mastermind, the adorable, the most wanted, the one and only Genie of the lamp!" A person who reminded Anne of a very famous reporter from her world, except with blue skin and pointed ears, not to mention a goatee, said that appeared out of nowhere.

"Genie!" all the teens, save Aurora, cried out with surprise.

Genie grinned as he zipped over to them. 'Weeeeell hello, everyone! Fancy seein' you all here!"

Anne couldn't believe it. "H-How...?!"

Merlin smiled. "Summoning gems either contain a summon, or they can call them from their world to help you out."

"That's right! I helped out Sora a lot whenever he called me on his last couple of journeys!" Genie told them with a grin, then looked like he had just remembered something. "Oh! Right! There was this one guy who was lookin' for you guys a while back. I was gonna help him out, but a Heartless attacked him and sent him flying into some kinda portal. He said his name was Nash."

"Nash? He's actually upstairs right now." Dylan explained.

"So he did find you! Great!"

"So... do you mind showing us how you helped Sora before?" Anne asked.

Genie grinned at that. "I've got a bunch of tricks stuffed up my sleeve I've been itching to show you." He said as he pulled his arm back like someone would pull up a shirt sleeve, and a bunch of stuff that people would normally stick up their sleeves, from cards to watches and other gizmos, came tumbling out. He also scratched the inside of his arms, like he had an irritating itch in both of them for a while.

"Now, where is it..." he said to himself as he did that. Dylan and Anne exchanged a look, shrugging.

"Ah, here it is." He grinned, declaring loudly, "Prepare to be amazed!"

He then pulled out... a _Keyblade_?

"Ta-da!"

Just about all of the teens jumped back in shock. "What?!"

"Surprised?" Genie grinned, perching it on his shoulder. Dylan could only stammer as he shakily pointed at it.

"How do you have one...?" Clair asked, her jaw dropping in awe.

"Thats just one of the perks I have! Remember? Semi-Phenomenal, nearly-cosmic powers."

"That... is... AWESOME!" Chase exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with awe.

Genie grinned, twirling the Keyblade in the air a bit. He then noticed Aurora. "Hm? I don't think I've seen you with these guys before. And you are?"

"... Aurora." she muttered.

He changed into a Sherlock Holmes attire as he looked over her. "Hmmm..." He pulled out a magnifying glass, peering into it as he examined her.

"Eighteen years old. Ever miss Moruga?"

That got her attention. "How did you know?"

"Oh, it's quite simple. Says so on the back of your jacket." Genie pulled off her jacket, and they saw the following written there: Born in Moruga.

"... uh..." was all Aurora could think to say at that, averting her gaze from the others who were staring at her thanks to the jacket.

Now the pieces fell together in Jason's mind. Their fights almost always started in some relation to the Morugan War. Why did he not see it sooner?

Aurora quickly snatched back her jacket, slipping it back on without saying a word as she then moved to the stairs.

"Hey, where are you going?" Genie called curiously.

"Away."

Jason looked at his cousin and teammates before going after Aurora, who was already walking up the stairs at this point.

"Aurora, wait." he called, but she turned and kicked him down the stairs.

He let out a grunt as he bounced off the last stair and fell on his back. Clair's eyes widened before she rushed to check on Jason, as did Chase, Dylan, Merlin, and Anne. Jason winced as he sat up, shaking off the pain. Aurora was gone by then, having ran up the stairs.

"... maybe I should've kept that to myself...?" Genie wondered out loud, also checking to see if Jason was hurt.

Anne glared in the direction Aurora went and took a step forward, but Jason stopped her as he pulled himself back up to his feet. "I'll go after her... it's got to be me."

He then ran up the stairs, leaving the rest of the group behind.

"Oh dear..." Merlin muttered, shaking his head at what he had seen.

Genie slumped his shoulders as a rain cloud appeared above his head. "Sorry, guys..."

"Don't blame yourself, Genie... you couldn't have known." Clair told him gently. "We don't blame you."

That seemed to lighten Genie's mood quite a bit. Genie then held up a pocket watch that he pulled out of nowhere. "Well, wish I could stick around longer, but my time's almost up." He then made one last transformation. He now had the appearance of a certain white rabbit (though he retained his blue appearance) from a certain world where nothing made sense. "No time to say hello, goodbye!" he quoted, then vanished in a puff of blue smoke. "Genie, over and out!"

When the clouds vanished, the gem fell back into Chase's hand. The goofball pocketed it as he looked in the direction of where Jason and Aurora ran to.

"Do you think they'll be alright?"

Clair shrugged. "I hope so."

"What was that about Moruga?" Anne asked her curiously.

"Moruga..." Clair paused, sighing. "It's a country back on Harthyn. Aurora came from there. For a long time, it was at war with Netokan, the country Jason and I are from. It went on for years, and casualties were high. However, about ten years ago, Netokan won. But at a terrible price."

"What happened...?" Dylan asked hesitantly.

"Our world's most brilliant scientist, Professor Anton Yeller, created a weapon with catastrophic results. The teroi bomb."

Anne, Chase, and Dylan's eyes widened while Merlin closed his, furrowing his brow. "Yes, I saw the making of that weapon during my travels. Something that shouldn't have been created, but was."

Clair looked down. "... when it was used... many died. The country was devastated, and has become uninhabitable. Aurora and other survivors were brought to Nekotan shortly after. I didn't know it as a child, or until a few months ago. Looking back, I can see now that there is still resentment for that."

"Man..." Chase whispered, stunned by what they were told.

Anne was shocked. So Aurora lost her home country when she was a kid... Everything she knew... her culture, her heritage. All wiped out. All she had now were probably bitter memories towards the people she most likely viewed as responsible.

"I heard that she was placed with foster parents when she came to Nekotan." Clair continued.

"Well, that's good." Dylan said.

Clair looked at him, furrowing her brow. "Are you out of your mind?!"

Dylan flinched. "Whoa! Aren't foster parents good where you're from?"

The mage-in-training looked at them. "Do you consider it good if the system chooses who gets to adopt and who doesn't? Without considering the children themselves?"

"... oh..." Dylan muttered, his eyes widening as he realized what she meant. Chase's did as well.

"How does it work?" Anne dared to ask.

"Statistics. They evaluate people based on how effectively they fit into society, and then if a family is deemed capable of raising a child to be effective for society, they can adopt. You don't meet the quota, you don't get a kid."

"Do they check the backgrounds? Like if the people that are adopting are abusive or not...?" Anne asked quietly.

"Background checks?" Clair's question answered Anne's.

"Oh..." Anne whispered.

Aurora... must have not been placed with good foster parents, then... If she suffered from abuse...

* * *

Meanwhile upstairs, Yuffie and Leon were leading Nash over to a cabinet.

"So you wanna learn how to fight, huh?" Yuffie smirked as Leon began to search through the drawers.

"Well... yes." Nash nodded. "I don't want to be some useless teammate who constantly needs saving."

Leon pulled out a pair of sais that had a purple and black pattern on the grips. "Here. These might be good for you..."

Nash hesitated before he took the weapons, testing them out for a moment before he twirled them in his hands. Not once did they fall out.

"Not bad, not bad at all!" Yuffie praised. Nash's eyes lit up, realizing that these weapons felt natural in his hands. He gave them another twirl before making a jab at the air with them.

"Raphael, eat your heart out."

"Who?"

"... never mind." he told them.

"They're yours if you want them." Yuffie said, giving him a pat on the back.

Nash looked down at the sais before smiling a bit. "Thanks..."

"They have a special feature, too. You know how Sora, Donald, and Goofy can summon their weapons? You can do that with these, too."

"Um... how do I put them away?" Nash asked, realizing they didn't have any sheaths.

"Just imagine them gone when you don't want to use them."

Nash blinked, but closed his eyes as he focused, then opened his eyes. In a flash of light, his new weapons vanished. He then imagined them in his hands and they reappeared.

Leon nodded. "Good. Now, you'll need to train with those if you want to do well in battle."

Before Nash could reply, they saw Aurora coming up from Merlin's room as she ran out the door with Jason following close behind.

"What was that about...?" Kairi wondered.

"No idea..." Yuffie shrugged before turning to Nash. "Alright, you ready to start?"

* * *

Aurora ran away from the headquarters, wanting to get away from the building, but Jason was hot on her heels. "Aurora! Hold up!"

She just turned and attacked him. He stumbled, holding his face, but that didn't stop him. "Aurora!"

She then grabbed Jason and threw him straight into a flowerpot, causing it to shatter. "Leave me alone!" she snapped, panting a bit.

Jason just got right back up to his feet as he saw Aurora's expression. She looked as if she wanted to attack everything in sight. "I said leave me alone!" she spat, backing away.

Jason slowly took a step forward. "Aurora..."

Aurora swung at him, but he caught her arm. She tried to get it out of his grip before she tried swinging at him with her other arm.

He pulled her in, and then _kissed_ her. That got her to stop. Aurora's eyes bugged out of her skull in shock as her heart almost stopped. Jason expected her to attack him again, but then to his surprise, she returned it.

They remained like that for several moments until they eventually broke the kiss.

"Aurora. I..."

"You already apologized."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize it before." he told her as he loosened his grip. "I was such a..."

"... jerk?" Aurora finished for him, all signs of the anger she had moments ago gone.

He nodded. "And that's actually being nice."

Aurora averted her gaze, not looking him in the eye.

"I'm sorry. For everything." Jason said with a sigh. "All those punches and kicks... I deserved them."

The two began to walk together. They were silent for a moment as they strolled down the path, neither of them saying a word.

"That kiss surprised me." Aurora finally said. "... why'd you do it?"

Jason paused in midstep. "It was the only way I could think of to calm you down." he replied. "Why'd you kiss me back?"

She looked down again. "... it felt good."

That made Jason pause yet again upon hearing that as his eyes widened slightly. She then took his hand in her own. "... I'm sorry, too."

Jason was so surprised that he could barely speak. She was apologizing...?

"And... I'm sorry for calling Clair 'that' word."

He remembered when that happened. Back in Olympus when Clair was trying to stop their fight ...

"I forgive you." he said after a moment. She looked at him when he uttered those words, almost looking relieved. Even as they made up, Jason couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He remembered how in the movies back home, the male protagonist would force himself upon the girl, kissing her until she returned it. Now he wondered if that was right. It didn't feel right anymore, not with what he's seen. He remembered how Chase just asked Clair out, and she accepted.

He then noticed the look Aurora was giving him. She didn't look like she was angry about it at all, and she didn't even wrench her hand away from his. He opened his mouth to speak, but Aurora cut him off.

"Let's go back to the others." Aurora told him.

Jason nodded. "Maybe you can apologize to Clair yourself..."

With a nod of agreement, the two of them headed back, neither of them letting go of each other's hands the whole way.

* * *

Back with the others, Chase walked over to Clair, who sat on the stairs as she read one of her spellbooks.

"Hey, you okay...?"

Clair looked up at him, sighing. "Yeah, I think so."

He sat next to her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm worried about Aurora. The way she's been acting... not to mention what happened to her..."

Chase nodded, adding, "She keeps attacking Jason, too."

Clair looked at him. "I'm worried if they don't come to terms, they'll destroy each other."

Chase shuddered. "You think they'll ever agree?"

"I don't know. I just hope they aren't fighting at this moment..."

They then heard the door open upstairs. The two looked up and saw through the doorway that Jason and Aurora had stepped back inside Merlin's home. Clair's jaw dropped as she saw they were holding hands now.

"Clair?" Chase asked as he noticed her expression. When she didn't reply, he tried waving his hand in front of her face. He then tried snapping his fingers. "Helloooo?"

"... are you seeing what I'm seeing...?" Clair finally asked. Chase looked back up and did a double take as the duo started coming down the stairs.

Jason noticed them as they reached where they were sitting. "Oh, hey guys." he greeted casually. Clair just stared with a dropped jaw, unable to believe what she was seeing as she dropped her book. Chase looked ready to faint.

"What's going on?" Anne asked, slipping her headphones off her ears. She nearly fell over in shock when she saw the two holding hands. "Am I dreaming?!"

"If you are, then we must be sharing the same dream..." Dylan said with surprise, slapping himself to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Jason was a bit confused as to why they were all gawking at them, then looking down at his hand as it still held Aurora's. "Oh." He and Aurora exchanged a look before turning to the group. "We had a little talk."

"You... worked things out?" Clair asked after a moment, her eyes wide with disbelief. Jason and Aurora, two people who were constantly fighting, had finally buried the hatchet?!

Aurora nodded. "You could say that..." She then sighed, guessing it was now or never. "Clair, I'm... sorry. For what I called you. It was inexcusable."

Clair's eyes widened, taken aback by the apology.

The raven haired teen then bowed before Clair. "Please forgive me."

Clair was too stunned for words, as were Anne, Chase, and Dylan. Finally, she managed to stammer, "I-I... I forgive you..."

Jason gave a true, genuine smile at his cousin. Aurora stood back up straight, looking a bit relieved. She then noticed Anne and sighed. "And... I'm sorry for calling you dead weight."

"Ah... it's okay..." Anne said, almost stumbling over her words, completely floored by Aurora's behavior.

"So... we're all good now?" Chase asked after a moment.

Jason nodded at the goof of a teen as he looked at Aurora, feeling like a weight was taken off his chest. "Yeah... I think so."

* * *

Outside the building, Yuffie stood across from Nash as he had his new weapons at the ready. Leon stood to the side with Riku as they observed the training that was about to take place.

"Okay, now you're gonna need to try and block whatever I throw at you." Yuffie said. "You ready?"

Nash shrugged. "Well, I guess-"

Yuffie suddenly threw a shuriken at Nash, who yelped and dove to the side. He scrambled back up to his feet, tightening his grip on his sais. "What was that?!"

She then threw another at him. Nash panicked before holding up one of his sais, which deflected the shuriken. He blinked, then realized what he just did. "Oh..."

The teen steadied himself as the ninja threw two shurikens at the same time. Nash used both of his sais to block them this time. "Not bad. Let's see how you handle this!" Yuffie pulled out her fuma shuriken, making Nash pale before she threw it. Nash dove down onto his stomach as it zipped past him, returning to Yuffie's hand like a boomerang.

As Nash got back to his feet, Yuffie charged at him while raising the large throwing star. The black haired boy's eyes widened, thinking quickly as he used both sais to block it as she attacked him, but ended up straining this time. He felt his feet begin to slide out from under him, so he dug them into the ground. He tried to push back as he felt the adrenaline kick into his system.

Riku nodded in approval. He was pretty good, but he still needed to practice.

Yuffie leapt back as Nash nearly lost his balance, but regained it. "Nice. Now, try to hit me with them."

Nash blinked, but complied as he ran forward, slashing at Yuffie with one of the sais. To his surprise, the black haired girl vanished in a puff of smoke. "What the-"

He was then sent stumbling forward as Yuffie appeared behind him, slamming her foot into his back. He nearly fell on his face, but whirled around and tried throwing his sai at her. She jumped out of the way as it missed her, but to Nash's surprise, it returned to his hand in a flash of light. "Cool..." he gasped, but snapped out of it as he saw Yuffie charge at him.

Nash moved quickly and managed to cut Yuffie on her shoulder. She cringed, but shook it off.

"Uh, shouldn't you get that looked at...?"

"Ah, this is nothing." the ninja remarked as she pulled out a potion, downing it. A moment later, the cut miraculously healed. Nash blinked with surprise.

Leon was silent for a moment, then stepped forward. "Not bad for a beginner, but you'll still need some more training."

Nash sighed. "Figures... so what? You want me to fight Yuffie again?"

Leon merely called forth his gunblade as he readied it.

Suddenly, Nash felt like it was going to be a _long_ day...


	36. A First Date

**Thanks, DinoWriter23, for helping out with this**

* * *

Things were rather quiet for the group at the moment, since Jason and Aurora had made up.

Chase rubbed the back of his neck shyly as he turned to Clair. "So, um... when do you wanna go on that date?"

Dylan blinked with surprise. Chase asked Clair out on a date? When did that happen?

Clair looked at him. "I'd like to make sure we aren't needed for anything else before we do."

The oldest of the Enheart brothers nodded in understanding as Clair went to check with Merlin. "Do you still want us to stick around a bit longer?"

Merlin reset some of the furniture in the room before turning to face the mage-in-training. "I do believe you've trained enough for right now. All of you can have the rest of the day to yourselves."

Clair's eyes lit up before she walked back over to Chase. "Let's see if the others need anything." she suggested.

Chase nodded before he followed her up the stairs. However, Jason stared at them as they left, narrowing his eyes a bit with suspicion.

* * *

As they made it to the top, they saw Kairi, Lea, Donald, and Goofy speaking with Cid while Sora was talking to the Doctor.

"Hey, where's Nash?" Chase asked curiously.

"He's outside training with Yuffie and Leon. Riku's watching." Kairi replied.

"Need us for anything?" Clair asked.

"I think we're good, thanks." Lea told her.

Chase decided to ask one more question. "What are you guys up to?"

"Cid's been giving us updates on how the town's doing. I have no clue what Sora and the Doctor are talking about, though."

"We'll check on them." Chase said as he and Clair went over to the Doctor and Sora.

"... so there, I found this assortment of Gummi Blocks that could add some very special features to a ship!" The Doctor finished, his eyes sparkling as he showed the spiky haired teen a strangely shaped Gummi Block.

"Those blocks can do that?" Sora asked with surprise.

The energetic man gave a nod, pocketing the item. "Yep! These things can do wonders."

"What are you talking about?" Clair asked as they approached them.

"Gummi blocks. This guy's found a lot of them when travelling." Sora answered, gesturing to him.

"Do you need something?" The Doctor asked politely.

"Oh." Chase said, then shrugged. "Just wondering if you needed anything."

"We're fine. But we'll let you know if we do." Sora told them, folding his arms behind his head with a smile.

Sora then remembered the issue of the seats in the ship. "I gotta go talk to Cid. See you!" he told them before walking away.

"Well... I guess this means we're good." Chase remarked as he turned to face Clair.

Clair nodded. "Guess so."

Chase opened the door and playfully bowed. "Ladies first."

She smiled and curtsied before stepping outside. Chase followed her, shutting the door behind them as they walked away from the HQ.

"So, what would you like to do?" Chase asked.

"How about we check out some of the shops around here?" Clair suggested

Chase smiled. "That sounds like a plan."

However, Jason had stepped outside, having decided to go after them for a moment. "Hey guys!" Jason called out from behind them. "Can I get a word with Chase before you head out?"

Chase and Clair paused, a bit confused, but Chase smiled. "Sure, just don't take too long, okay?"

Jason motioned for Chase to come with him while Clair watched curiously. What did Jason want to talk to Clair about?

"So... what's up?" Chase asked curiously.

Jason folded his arms as he began to explain. "Okay. I know Clair likes you, and I trust her judgement. You seem like an okay guy, and the last thing I want to do is stir up trouble while there are bigger problems out there than my cousin's choice in boyfriends. But hear me out: You break her heart, and I break your face." he threatened, shooting him a glare.

Chase smiled nervously, but kept his composure. "Dude, that's fair."

Jason was gobsmacked by Chase's response, his jaw dropping in reply. "What?!"

"Look, Clair's amazing. If I ever mess up bad enough to make her cry, I'm counting on you to punch my face in. I'd deserve it, man." Chase told him.

The tough guy was left dumbstruck at what Chase was saying. "Oh. Um... okay?"

"Chase! We're going to be too late!" Clair called to him.

"Coming!" Chase called, looking back at Jason as he started to back away. "I'd better get going. Wouldn't want to make good on that promise already, would ya?" he joked before running back over to Clair.

"What was that about?" she asked him.

"He wanted to know I'm not just playing with your heart." he said as he took her hand. "I'll tell you about it later, okay."

She smiled as she also held his hand. "Okay."

As they left, Jason watched them thoughtfully. He hadn't expected Chase to be sincere like that. It wasn't well known on Harthyn, so to see his cousin with someone who wouldn't take advantage of her... it brought peace into his heart. As they left, a small smile appeared on his face. They were both lucky to have each other.

* * *

As they reached the market place, Clair and Chase began to look at some of the shops together.

"Hey, here's a bookstore." Chase pointed out to her.

Clair gasped as they stopped in front of it, her eyes lighting up at the sight. "It's so beautiful..." she whispered.

"Wanna check it out?" he offered. She nodded eagerly.

The two of them entered the store. They started looking at books together. Clair felt like she was on Cloud 9. She looked at books in history, fiction, science, romance, adventure, and horror. Just about all kinds of genres.

"You really like books, huh?" Chase smiled as he set down a comic book.

Clair nodded. "Books are pretty rare on Harthyn... Everything's holo-screen now."

Chase blinked with surprise. "Whoa..." he remarked.

Clair flipped through the pages of the current book she was reading. "You know, I love hearing the sound the pages make when you flip through them..."

Chase smiled.

"You'd love it on our homeworld. Not only do we have stores full of them, but we also have libraries, where you can borrow books for a while, and then return them."

Clair looked at him. "Really? Your world must be a paradise!"

Chase chuckled, then looked at the book she had been holding onto. "Do you want that book?"

She looked at it. "I don't know. There's just so much to choose from."

"Decisions, decisions, huh?" he joked, setting down a book. Clair cracked a smile, nodding.

"So hard. I just can't decide." she said as she looked at all the books on the shelf before her. Chase noticed how much her eyes lit up as she looked at the books.

"How about we start with something that could help us?" Chase suggested.

"Like?"

He picked up one book. "How about English to French? Or English to German?"

"I can't read English."

His jaw dropped. "Are you serious? But you speak it so well!"

Clair looked down shyly. "I don't understand why..."

It looked so much different from the Harthynian text...

Chase thought about it. "I may have an idea. There's this show back where I'm from called Star Trek. Involves deep space travel. Anyway, there's this device that works like a universal translator, allowing races of different planets to communicate with each other, but the person hears their native language. For example, say I met a... Wookie. The thing from Star Trek would allow me to hear English when speaking to a Wookie, but the Wookie would hear... whatever the Wookie language is called. You with me so far?"

Clair blinked at that. "What's a Wookie?"

"... I'll explain it later. But anyway, maybe its like that, but without the device. Let's ask Merlin about it." He then picked up a book. "In the meantime, how about I teach you to read English?"

Clair smiled lightly. "I'd like that..."

So the two sat down in a corner together as they looked at the book.

"We'll start with the alphabet." Chase said as he showed her a letter. "This is the letter A..."

* * *

Back at Merlin's home, Sora was currently speaking with Cid.

"So what's up, kid?" Cid asked, chomping on the toothpick in his mouth.

"Well, it's about our Gummi Ship." Sora began, getting his attention. "Since Nash joined us, there hasn't been enough seats for everyone, so the guy has to stand up during take off. Do you think you could-"

"Install more seats? Sure, kid." he said, getting up. "I'll get right on it."

The Doctor followed him, pausing to talk to Sora. "You don't mind if I take a look at it with him, do you?"

Sora blinked, but shrugged. "Go right ahead."

"Brilliant!" The Doctor ran out the door with an eager gleam in his eye as he followed Cid. Sora exchanged a look with Donald, Goofy, and Kairi, who were just as confused as he was.

* * *

Meanwhile with Nash, he had scrambled up to his feet after avoiding another slash from Leon's gunblade. He had to readjust his grip on his sais, now holding them in a reverse grip.

Leon narrowed his eyes as he charged at the teenager, ready to bring down his sword on him. Nash used both of his sais to block the blade, but Leon was stronger as he began to push him down. Nash strained, being forced to his knee as he struggled to push him back. They had been at this for quite a bit now, and Nash was starting to grow exhausted.

The moment Leon eased his grip on his gunblade, Nash forced him back, jumping up onto both of his feet.

When Leon's guard had been let down, Nash charged at him and sliced at him, managing to cut him on the leg. Leon winced as he crouched down a bit, but straightened himself as he knocked Nash back when he tried to attack again.

Nash groaned as he landed on his back with a thud. As he regained his senses, his eyes widened as he saw Leon leap up with his gunblade held over his head. The blue eyed teen yelled in panic as he quickly rolled out of the way with the sword missing him by inches.

He spun one of his sais in his hand, then threw it at Leon. The man blocked it, though, and the sai returned to Nash's hand in a flash of light.

Yuffie then threw a shuriken at him, but Nash dove out of the way. However, much to his surprise, the shuriken followed him and managed to leave a cut on his shoulder. Nash let out a cry, clutching his wound.

"Always pay attention to your enemies attacks!" Yuffie called.

Nash jumped to the side as the honing shuriken flew past him, nearly nicking him again as it returned to Yuffie's hand. Nash shook the pain off as best as he could, charging at the ninja as he jabbed his sais forward. She backflipped out of the way, avoiding his attack as she promptly threw her fuma shuriken at him. Nash dove down as the fuma shuriken sailed over him, returning back to Yuffie's hand once again.

As Nash got back up, Yuffie attempted to throw a punch at him, but he leaned back, avoiding her fist. He jumped back, panting a bit as Leon and Yuffie stood side by side together with their weapons ready. He was feeling like his knees were about to buckle, but he stood his ground.

"Come on, is that all you've got?" Yuffie challenged, holding another shuriken in her hand.

Nash wiped some sweat off his brow, then tightened his grip on his weapons with a determined look before he charged forward.

* * *

An hour had passed for Chase and Clair as they read the book together, finishing up the page they were on.

Chase smiled at Clair, who had made some progress. "You're doing a great job!" he praised.

She smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"We can stop for now, and practice again tomorrow." Chase said as he closed the book. "'Repetition begets memorization'. That's what my teachers said... even though I did fall asleep in some of their classes." he admitted, cracking a sheepish grin. Clair giggled at that as he stood up, offering a hand as he helped her up.

Clair then walked over to the register with the book as she pulled out some munny that was given to her earlier, paying for the book. "Thank you. Have a great day." the cashier smiled.

Chase and Clair left the store together as they decided to take a look around the marketplace.

"Wanna have some sea salt ice cream?" Chase then suggested.

"That treat we had back in Twilight Town?" Clair smiled. "Sure."

Chase bought each of them a bar of ice cream and the two began to eat them as they resumed their stroll. "Salty, but sweet, just like before." he remarked. Clair gave a nod of agreement as she tasted hers.

They checked out some items that the shops were selling as they walked together. There were some pretty nice items, as well as potions and Ethers, and even an Elixir or two. Some of them had some kinds of accessories, as well, such as rings, chains, and bracelets.

Clair had found something for Chase at one of the shops. She smiled, hoping that he'd like it as she bought it. At the same time, Chase was off to the side and also found something he thought that Clair might like as well.

The two were surprised when they came face to face with each other with their gifts, but chuckled. Clair handed Chase a black cat plushie. "Here... I thought you might like this "

Chase smiled as he was given the plushie. "Thanks, Clair..."

His eyes then widened as he remembered his gift and showed her a bundle of flowers he had picked. "Um, here you go!"

Clair's eyes widened with surprise, but she then smiled, accepting them. "Thanks, Chase." She sniffed them, but suddenly sneezed, causing the flowers to fly out of her hands. She gasped as she tried to grab them as they flew away. Chase managed to grab one of the few.

"Sorry, Chase." she said sheepishly.

Chase just smiled, shrugging. "Ah, it's alright." he said, then looked down at the flower he had managed to grab before offering it to Clair.

She took it from him. She then tucked it into her hair. "How does it look...?"

Chase felt his face heat up. "P-Pretty..." he blurted, not just referring to the flower.

Clair smiled at him shyly. He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as they continued on their way. They eventually came to a railing where they got a beautiful view of the sunset. It almost reminded Chase of the one's from his world. "Wow..."

"So lovely..." Clair whispered. She hadn't seen a sunset this beautiful before...

"Yeah..." Chase agreed as he placed his hands on the railing, still staring at the sight before them. However, his hand rested atop of Clair's. The two blinked in surprise as they glanced down, then looked at each other.

"Oh. Sorry..." Chase blushed.

"It's... it's okay..." Clair said, blushing a bit as she trailed off. She found herself staring into Chase's mismatched blue and green eyes. He looked like he was lost in her eyes as well.

Then someone's stomach growled. Clair froze, looking embarrassed. "Um..."

Chase just chuckled. "Hungry?"

"I could go for some dinner." she admitted.

He held out his arm to her. "Same here. Well, I think we could find a spot to eat..." he smiled. "Shall we?"

Clair linked his arm with his as they they walked down a set of stairs together, searching for a spot to eat until they found a small outdoor cafe. Chase pulled Clair's seat out for her, taking his own seat once Clair sat down.

They placed their orders and waited as the waiter went to get their food.

"So..." Chase tried to start a conversation. "What was life like before you came out here?"

Clair was a bit surprised by his question, but decided to answer. "Well... I'd have school, homework, and time with my family. I'd also look around for books not in holo-screens. Usually, I'd have to go to an antique shop to find them."

"Did you have any friends?" Chase inquired curiously.

"Well... I knew a few people. There's Nettie Juarez... she always snuck her pet ferret into school."

"There are ferrets on your world?" Chase asked her.

She rose an eyebrow. "You have ferrets on yours?"

The goofiest of the Enheart brothers gave a nod. "Yep." he said, popping the 'p'. That made her smile.

"There was also another girl, Stella Valleys... She was... how do I put this?" she paused before admitting, "I... I looked up to her."

"She was a role model for you." Chase summarized.

Clair nodded. "Yes. She always got good grades, and most of the guys at school thought she was beautiful." Clair sighed at the thought of her role model. She did look up to her, but secretly felt like she could never be as beautiful as Stella was.

Chase seemed to sense her emotions. "Is... something wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing." she said, unsure of whether to bring up the subject or not, so she decided to change it. "How about you?"

"Me? Well, I did say 'hi' to a couple people in the halls, but that's just about it. So it was just me, Dylan, and Anne as a trio."

"Just you three?"

"Yep." Chase nodded. "We've been best friends with Anne ever since we were little kids!"

That brought a smile to Clair's face. "That sounds so sweet... how did you guys meet her?"

Chase smiled at the memory. "It was about a year after our dad disappeared. Her family had moved into town, but she was very shy when she came. She didn't try to talk to anyone until we noticed her at the park one day. We saw she was playing alone, then Josh came to pick on her, so we chased him off and introduced ourselves. Dylan was the first to greet her. We asked her if she wanted to play with us, so she accepted and we've been best friends ever since." He then looked back at Clair. "Did you know anyone else back on your world?" Chase inquired.

"I do. There was Ashley. I think I mentioned her before, back in Salem."

"The one who slept in class a lot?"

"That's her."

Chase smirked. "Yeah, I think I'd know someone who'd relate to her." he joked.

Clair giggled. "Jason had this friend named Phil. He's REALLY into video games. They became friends after Phil fought him when he stole his gaming system."

The brown haired teen blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, really?" he asked.

"Yeah. He won Jason's respect that day." she confirmed, resting her chin on her fist.

"Wonder what would've happened if your Phil met the Phil back in Olympus?" Chase joked. Clair giggled at the thought of him meeting the satyr.

"I bet it would be so confusing." she remarked, trying to hold back her smile.

The teenage boy snickered. "I think you're right."

"Let's see..." She tried to remember who else she knew. "Oh yeah, there's also AJ Miyazuki. He was the biggest flirt in the entire school."

"A playboy?" Chase asked, earning a nod from Clair.

"He broke several hearts from his constant flirting. I'm really glad I wasn't in any of his classes."

"Do you think any of those guys made it off of Harthyn when the Heartless came there?" Chase asked.

"I hope so."

It was then their food had been brought to them. "Here are your orders. Enjoy."

They both looked at their food. Although they didn't have stuff like it on her world, Clair couldn't help but think about how she was liking food on other worlds better than her native one.

Chase smiled. "It looks delicious, am I right?"

Clair snapped out of her thoughts, nodding before they started to eat. Her eyes widened upon tasting it, finding it so good. She smiled as she took another bite. "What is this?" she asked after she swallowed.

Chase blinked in surprise, nearly dropping his fork. "You don't know? It's spaghetti." he answered after taking another bite.

"Spaghetti...?"

"You... actually don't have it back on Harthyn?" he asked, earning a shake of her head. "Wow..."

She started to eat more of the noodles. "Is spaghetti your favorite food?"

"One of them. I got several others I could list." Chase smiled, also eating some of the noodles." He then promised, "If we find them on any other world, I'm going to give you a taste test."

Clair smiled, finding herself looking forward to that.

By this time, they had finished their plates. Chase paid for the dinner with some munny. "You ready to head out?"

The teenage girl nodded before they left the cafe together. "So, madam, what else would you like to do on this magical evening?" the goofy teen quipped.

She smiled at him for that. "What do people usually do on your world for activities?"

"Hmmm... they hang out with friends and family, do things they like, play video games, read, watch movies..." he listed, counting off on his fingers. "... go to dances..."

"Dances?"

"Do you have those on Harthyn?" Chase asked. When she shook her head, his jaw dropped, now looking more shocked than before. "Are you joking?"

Clair shook her head yet again.

"No moving your feet to music?"

"No. Is... dancing fun?" Clair inquired curiously.

"You kidding? It is! It's awesome!" Chase smiled

"How do you dance?"

"Its easy! Come on, I'll show you." Chase offered her his hand. She accepted it as he took her to a music store that was nearby.

"Hmm... this spot looks good." he said to himself before turning back to Clair. "Okay. Dancing 101! Some dances are slow, but some are pretty fast."

Clair blinked, tilting her head at the explanation.

"You usually need music for a dance."

Something then began playing from inside the store. Chase was a bit surprised by the timing, but shrugged and went along with it as he began to do a little dance.

Clair observed him as he danced. She rose an eyebrow, but found it interesting.

"See?" Chase told her. "It's easy! Wanna try it out?"

"I'm not sure how." Clair said.

"Feel the music in you." Chase tried to recall how it was done in a movie.

Clair blinked, but tried to do what he said. She listened to the music playing, nodding her head to it.

"Good, good." Chase told her. "That's a good start. Now... Try to match the movement of the body with the beat, the tempo. Like this." He gave an example, tapping his feet along to the beat as he moved his arms.

As she observed, Clair thought she was starting to understand.

She looked down at her feet, trying it out herself as she tapped her foot, trying to copy his dance. However, she seemed a bit off.

Chase noticed, but he just gave a smile. "Now you're getting it. With a bit more practice, I'm sure you'll be a great dancer! Try to tap in rhythm with me." Chase encouraged.

He did a quick little tap dance. Clair tried to copy it, but she tripped and crashed into Chase.

Chase nearly fell down, but regained his balance as he caught her in his arms.

Clair's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"

Chase's face turned red as he felt his heartbeat quicken. "Um... i-it's okay..." he told her, managing to crack a smile despite what just happened. They then separated, blushing the whole time.

It was then slow, soft music came from within the store. "One more song?" Chase suggested.

Clair hesitated, but eventually agreed.

Chase gently took her hands in his. "This is called a waltz... Now, the people are supposed to dance together in a rhythm. One, two, three. One, two, three."

Clair followed his lead as he began to take the steps. She was doing a bit better this time.

"See? Now you've got it..." Chase praised with a smile.

He then stepped on her foot by accident. She bit her lip while Chase gasped, quickly lifting his foot. "Oh man, sorry!" he apologized quickly, hoping he hadn't ruined the date.

Clair winced, but managed to smile. "I-It's alright." It was then she accidentally stepped on his foot this time as she tried to waltz with him. "Oh! Sorry!"

Chase winced. "Guess we're even, now?" he joked. The two stared at each other before Clair's lips quirked up into a smile as she tried to hold back a giggle. Chase cracked a grin.

"I made you smile." A laugh escaped Clair's lips. Chase chuckled, as well. "And laugh. Two wins."

"You've had more wins than that, this day." she told him after she had calmed down.

Chase blinked. "I did?" he wondered.

She nodded. "You've shown me new tastes, new recreation, and have gotten me started learning to read in a new language."

"Oh yeah..."

Clair giggled again. It was then they realized they were still holding hands for the waltz. They both blushed at that realization.

Chase gave a sheepish grin, feeling his heart almost beat out of his chest as he tried to keep calm. "Uh..."

"Does this happen a lot?" she questioned. "When people dance?"

"Uh... sometimes."

Clair looked down, unsure of what to think about all of this. She did feel her heartbeat speed up. Why was it doing that, though?

"S-Should we head back?"

Chase snapped out of it. "Yeah, we probably should..." he said as he rubbed the back of his head. They walked away from the music store while holding each other's hands as the two teens headed back to Merlin's.

They did strike up a small conversation along the way. "I still can't believe that Jason and Aurora have finally come to an agreement." Clair remarked.

Chase nodded. "Seems like a miracle. One minute they're at each other's throats and the next, they're holding hands!"

Soon, the two had walked past the Gummi Ship, finding the Doctor and Cid working on it. Clair wondered how long until they would be back flying between the worlds.

She rose an eyebrow when the Doctor poked his head out. "Oi! Could you toss me that Gummi piece? It's the blue one shaped like a star!"

Chase picked it up, raising an eyebrow before tossing it to him.

"Thank you!" he called as he ducked back inside. The two teens exchanged a confused look before shrugging and resuming their stroll.

As they neared the headquarters, they did see Leon, Yuffie, and a disheveled looking Nash not too far away from it. Chase could see that Nash now had a pair of sais in his hands as he was training with them and cringed when Nash was knocked back by Leon.

"Well, at least he's learning how to fight..." he remarked as they observed Nash stumble back up, swaying on his feet a bit before he charged back at the more experienced fighters.

Clair strolled forward, but paused in front of the door as they reached it, turning to Chase with a smile. "Thanks for the date. I had a great time..."

The blue and green eyed teen blinked. "Even with the... foot stepping?"

"It was my first time dancing." Clair shrugged, giving him a reassuring smile. "I don't blame you."

Chase smiled with relief before Clair then added, "I'd... like to do this again sometime."

Chase froze, his mind trying to comprehend what he had just heard. "Really?" he nearly gasped, a wide smile appearing on his face. he nodded in reply. "So, um, does this mean we're... boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Chase asked in a shy tone.

She kissed him on the cheek. "I'm not sure about proper protocol for relationships, but if you'd like to consider us that, then I don't see why not."

Chase stiffened up, his face now as red as Clair's vest as he tried to process what just happened. Slowly, a goofy smile appeared on his face. Clair was smiling as well as she took her hand in his.

"Come on, let's go in."

* * *

The new couple pushed open the door, stepping back inside. They found just about everyone in the main room talking. The two realized that Aerith had arrived sometime after they had left, as she was speaking with Kairi.

Jason and Aurora were in a corner of the room quietly talking to each other. As for Anne and Dylan, they were relaxing near the stairs that led down to the room they trained in. Dylan was the first to notice they had come back. He smirked. "Hey, Chase. How was the date?" he decided to tease him a bit. Anne had a mischievous look as well.

Chase scratched the back of his head. "I-It was nice..." he replied. Clair gave a nod of agreement.

"So... are you two together now?" Anne asked, smiling a bit.

"Yep." Chase confirmed, then smiled teasingly. "What about you guys?"

"W-What?!" Anne spluttered as she and Dylan blushed.

The brown haired teenager grinned. "Relax, I'm just teasing ya!"

"But judging from the way you two are blushing, I'd say it's safe to assume you two like each other." Clair remarked as she observed them.

The two froze, their faces turning a bright pink. Dylan gulped as he glanced at Anne out of the corner of his eye, who did the same.

"N-N-No we don't!" Anne stammered, avoiding eye contact with Chase and Clair.

"Uh huh, sure..." Chase smiled as he noticed the looks they were giving each other.

Jason decided to step in. "If you two are done with the torturing of our team, we need to come up with a plan."

Anne blinked, her blush going down. "Plan for what?"

"What we're going to do." Jason said. "Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. So far, our strategy seems to be just flying around through that... that starocean thing, whatever the in-between worlds void is called. We need a better way of pinpointing where and when the Heartless will strike a world."

"They tend to attack in random places at random times." Sora explained as he walked over to them.

"But what if it's not random?" Aurora questioned. "What if there's a pattern we haven't discerned?"

Sora paused to think about it. "Well..."

"Do we have a map?" Clair asked.

"Of Radiant Garden? Yes. Of the other worlds when we're not on them? No." Donald replied. "We do have a navigator on the monitor in the ship, though."

"Didn't you guys say that Heartless go after the hearts of worlds or people?" Anne remembered.

Riku nodded. "They'll strike at wherever they can."

There's got to be a strategic point to this." Jason growled. "We can't just wander around and hope we bump into them."

"Well... the last time we faced the Organization, they controlled the Nobodies, and before that, Xehanort's Heartless and Maleficent controlled the Heartless until Maleficent lost her control... the Heartless side with whoever is strongest..."

"And how did they use the Heartless? What worlds did they send them to?"

"They send them to wherever they wish, if they think there is a certain amount of darkness or light there." Riku explained. "It could be they're trying to make more Heartless and Nobodies to control and spread the darkness. Or perhaps the Organization is trying to continue their plan for the X-Blade... "

Aurora blinked, having forgotten what it was. "The what?"

"Its a powerful weapon said to unlock Kingdom Hearts itself... Xehanort wants that so he can recreate the worlds in his image." Riku frowned. "His Heartless and Nobody have tried to gain the power of Kingdom Hearts before through different means, but failed. It could be possible that Xehanort is looking for things that could help him achieve his goal."

Aurora looked at him. "Then let's review what each world had that might be useful to Xehanort."

"The spell book of Winifred Sanderson would be bad in his hands." Clair pointed out.

"Twilight Town once helped us get into the The World That Never Was before..." Goofy remembered. "We also faced that big swarm of Heartless there for the first time."

"There were a lot of Heartless back on Naruto's world... not to mention powerful ninja."

"It's pretty dark in Halloween Town." Dylan noted. "But it also has Santa Claus and Christmas Town, so that would be a type of light."

"And Wonderland had a buncha crazy stuff." Anne said. "Though I'm not sure it would have something the Organization would be looking for."

"And Agrabah and Beast's castle both had Princesses of Heart."

Jason worked at trying to find a pattern. "Didn't you say he was trying to find thirteen darknesses and seven lights?"

"Yes..." Riku's eyes widened. "He might be looking for more vessels. And he may be trying to spread the darkness as well while he's at it."

"Then maybe some of the worlds we've visited so far must some sort of darkness that meets his criteria." Jason guessed.

"Why don't we ask Chip and Dale?" Goofy suggested. "Maybe they can trace signals for us?"

Anne blinked. "Who?"

"They're our other navigators. We haven't contacted them in a while, though..." Sora winced, realizing he had completely forgotten about them.

"You had navigators this whole time?" Aurora asked. "Why didn't you say so?"

"I... I kinda forgot." Sora admitted nervously, rubbing the back of his head, earning sighs from Riku and Kairi. "They just point out stuff or signals for us as we fly around, sometimes even warn us about Heartless. Maybe they can help us out... if we can get the communicator working."

Riku looked out the window, seeing how late it was getting. "We should probably get some rest. Figure out a plan tomorrow. The Gummi Ship should be up and running by that point."

"You may all rest in here for the night if you'd like." Merlin offered, gesturing them to follow him downstairs, which they did.

"Thanks, Merlin. Is there any..." Lea trailed off as the sorcerer waved his wand, conjuring several cots for each of them.

"Beyond my skills right now." Clair told everyone before they could ask.

Anne tested a cot out. "Not bad..." she smiled a bit.

Clair sat down in one as well. "Firm, but comfortable."

"I hope you all get a good night's rest." Merlin said, then blinked. "That's odd. Wasn't there another one of you?"

As if on cue, an exhausted and disheveled Nash slowly made his way down the stairs. "That was rough..." he said to himself, panting a bit

"What happened to you?" Dylan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Leon and Yuffie." Nash deadpanned, flopping onto a cot.

"Those two can be pretty rough when it comes to fighting..." Sora remarked, handing him a potion. Nash blinked at the drink, but chugged it down. A moment later, the injuries he had received during the training had vanished and he didn't feel as exhausted as before, but was still tired.

"Hm... you'll need to learn how to use magic in battle, too. How about tomorrow, you see me for magic lessons?" Merlin told the blue eyed teen.

He earned a nod from Nash. "Sure... sounds like a plan..." he yawned as his eyes started to droop, flopping his head back onto the pillow.

"Wow, they really wore you out, dude." Chase remarked as he got into a cot as well, one that was next to Clair's. Nash didn't respond, as he was already dozing off. Everyone decided to take a cot as well to get some rest. They would need it for tomorrow.

Sleep had come easily for nearly all of them as they all eventually nodded off.

* * *

 _Anne found herself walking down a path with several bushes and trees on the sides with her parents and her dog, happily chatting with them._

 _As they walked, however, Anne found that she was suddenly unable to move and had to watch as her family went on ahead. She tried to move her legs, but found they were firmly planted into the ground. "Mom? Dad?" she called, tugging on her legs to try and get them to move._

 _They turned around to face her as a large cloud of darkness appeared behind them. Anne gasped. "Look out!" she tried to yell, but no sound came from her mouth._

 _A large, dark hand shot out of the darkness, grabbing her parents and dragging them into it. Anne's widened in horror as she saw her parents let out cries of surprise as they were pulled in._

 _Boomer barked as he tried to run away, but got sucked into the dark cloud as well. "NO!" she cried out, trying to make her way to them, but her feet started to sink into the dirt path below her._

 _The teenage girl then saw beady yellow eyes hover above her as the creature reached to slam its hand down on her-_

* * *

It was then she woke up with a gasp, sitting up in her cot as she panted a bit, her fists clutching the blanket she had tightly. A drop of sweat trickled down her forehead as she tried to calm herself down.

"Anne?"

She looked to her right, seeing Dylan sitting up with a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine... just a bad dream..." Anne told him, attempting a fake smile. Dylan, however, knew something was up.

"Anne..."

She slumped her shoulders, deciding to tell the truth. "Okay, I had a nightmare... about my parents being taken by the darkness."

Dylan's eyes softened as he turned his body to face her. "It'll be okay, Anne. They're out there somewhere. We'll find them." he told her, gently taking one of her hands into his own. Anne seemed a little dejected, but her eyes lit up with some hope.

Dylan gave her a gentle smile. "We'll search the farthest reaches of the universe if we have to. Just hold onto that thought, alright?"

Anne looked down for a moment, closing her eyes. She had to hold onto that hope. Dylan then surprised her by giving her a hug. Anne hesitated before hugging back. A smile slowly graced her lips, feeling better now. Neither of them could see it, but they were both blushing. "Thank you, Dylan..." she whispered.

"No problem, Annie..." Dylan said, trying to hide his blush. A moment later, they separated. "W-We should probably get back to sleep."

She nodded in reply. "Yeah. We'll need all the rest we can get."

The duo then laid back down with their backs facing opposite of each other, eventually drifting off to sleep once more. Unknown to them, Chase had woken up and had witnessed the whole thing, but just kept quiet as he smiled to himself, closing his eyes as he held the plushie that Clair had given him close to his chest.


End file.
